Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz arrived in Beijing Tuesday night for a five-day official visit to China aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation.

During his China tour, Aziz will confer with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and meet with other senior Chinese leaders for an exchange of views on bilateral relations, international and regional issues, according to sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Before leaving Islamabad for Beijing, Aziz told press that his China visit was aimed at "bolstering bilateral friendly cooperation and instilling new vitality to the traditional Pakistan-China friendship for its sustainable development in the new era."

The Pakistan prime minister also expressed his hope that the friendly ties between the two nations would further improve through enforced economic and trade cooperation.

Aziz is also expected to travel to Shanghai.

Born in southern Pakistan city of Karachi on March 6, 1949, Aziz graduated in 1967 from Gordon College, Rawalpindi and obtained an MBA in 1969 from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Karachi.

In October 1999, Aziz was appointed by President General Pervez Musharraf as finance minister. He took his current post in August this year.

(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2004)