World | Pakistan
Musharraf to meet his Chinese counterpart
President Pervez Musharraf will travel to China tomorrow, his first trip abroad since a new government packed with his opponents was sworn in late last month.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:38 April 8, 2008
Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf will travel to China tomorrow, his first trip abroad since a new government packed with his opponents was sworn in late last month.
Musharraf, who came to power as a general following a coup in 1999, has beenpolitically isolated since the defeat of his allies in the February 18 polls.
He is due to meet President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and other Chinese state leaders during his visit from April 10 to 15 to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq.
"The president's visit will reinforce the all-weather, time-tested friendship between the two countries. Agreements in economic areas are also likely to be signed," Sadiq said yesterday.
The longstanding friendship with China is often contrasted with the on-off relationship Islamabad has experienced with the United States.
One of the principal drivers in the ties with China is mutual desire for a counterweight against India.
Military ties
On Monday, a Shanghai shipyard launched the first of four frigates to be delivered to Pakistan. The fourth and last vessel will be completed at a Karachi shipyard in 2013. The air force has inducted into its fleet the JF-17 Thunder, a fighter co-produced with China.
Musharraf will wind up his visit in Urumqi, the capital of the western province of Xinjiang, where militant Uighurs have agitated for an independent "East Turkestan".
China is concerned that the militants have forged links with Islamist fighters based in Pakistan.
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