Pakistan, China enjoy multi-faceted relationship
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Xinhua, June 29, 2011
Former Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz said on Tuesday that Pakistan-China relations are the richest and deepest bilateral relationship Pakistan has with any country.
Aziz made the remarks during an interview with the Chinese media. His visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.
Speaking highly of the bilateral cooperation in economy and trade, investment, security, defense and personnel exchanges, Aziz referred to the bilateral ties as a multi-faceted relationship.
Aziz arrived in Beijing on Sunday, starting an eight-day visit.
"Every trip enhances relationships," he said, noting his contacts with different circles of Chinese society, such as government, the business community, media, academies and think-tanks.
The trip will also take him to Tianjin and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"I am going to visit for the first time the city of Urumqi. This is also a part of my objective to know China better and to explore new areas," he said.
China's economic growth enables Pakistan to come to China to seek investment and funding for its development programs, Aziz said.
He encouraged Chinese companies to beef up investment in Pakistan, especially in the area of infrastructure, telecommunication and banking.
"Only yesterday I was pleased to see the new high-speed train from Shanghai to Beijing started, so this tells us China has leapfrogged in technology for the building infrastructure," he said, adding that "this gives us a new idea of what we can do in Pakistan."
With regard to anti-terrorism cooperation, he said China can give Pakistan a lot of advice and support on how to tackle this very complex issue, which is not just a battle for security, but a battle to win the hearts and minds of the people.
"Both countries continually acknowledge that terrorism is not the solution for any problems," he said, "and we exchange information and have interactions on various levels."
He said Pakistan wants to live in peace and the political parties are doing their best to try to contain and control terrorism.
Commenting on the U.S. plan to reduce troops in Afghanistan, Aziz said he was very pleased, as it will reduce some of reasons for the current extremist tendency for terrorist activities.
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