BEIJING: President Asif Ali Zardari was a given very warm welcome when he arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, on his maiden state visit to China to hold talks with the Chinese leadership, giving renewed impetus to the already existing, strong and time-tested bilateral bonds between the two countries.

The President was received and greeted at the airport by Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue and senior Chinese officials.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik, Secretary Foreign Affairs Salman Bashir and Pakistan Ambassador to China Masood Khan were also present on the occasion.

The President was presented a guard of honour. A Chinese girl presented him a bouquet on the occasion.

The formal welcome ceremony for the President will be held tomorrow at the Great Hall of the People, where he will be received by Chinese President Hu Jintao.

During his stay, the President will hold talks with President Hu Jintao, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Chairman of National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo and Chairman of Chinese People’s Political consultative conference Jia Qinglin.

The visit will provide an opportunity to both sides to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international developments.

The President’s other engagements at Beijing include interactions with heads of Chinese financial institutions and corporate sector as well as the media which will help strengthen cooperation between the commercial, industrial, banking and financial sectors of the two countries.

About eleven agreements, MoUs and protocols are expected to be signed during the visit that would help accelerate Pak-China cooperation in various fields.

President is accompanied by the Defence Minister, Avisor on Finance, Minister for Environment and the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission.

“I LOOK FORWARD TO A LONG-TERM ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH CHINA”: President Asif Ali Zardarihas said that he is looking forward to a long-term economic cooperation with China and his visit will focus on trade and economic ties.

In an interview with the Chinese news agency ‘Xinhua’ Asif Ali Zardari said he expected to prioritize economic ties in his talks with the Chinese leadership. He said he has a long-term economic cooperation plan with China.

The President said he is keen to lead Pakistan out of the current economic difficulties by enhancing cooperation with China. He said China is the future of the world and a strong China means a strong Pakistan. He pledged further cooperation with China in energy, finance and agriculture.

To a question on anti-terrorism, President Zardari said the two countries will carry out close cooperation in this regard as we need commonality to fight terrorism.

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