Pakistan on Thursday opens its third consulate general in China
in southwestern Sichuan Province.
The consulate general in Sichuan will deal with affairs between
Pakistan, Sichuan and other local administrations in southwest
China -- Chongqing Municipality, Yunnan Province and Guizhou
Province, said Pakistani ambassador to China Salman Bashir.
Visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said at the
inaugural ceremony of the consulate general that he hoped
Pakistan's consulate general in Chengdu build up a new platform for
exchanges between his country and China's western provinces and
bring bilateral cooperation in personnel, education, culture,
aviation, space-flight and scientific research to a new level.
Vice Governor of Sichuan Huang Xiaoxiang said Sichuan and
Pakistan enjoy close economic and trade relations.
According to Huang, Sichuan's exports to Pakistan totaled US$136
million in 2006 and there are now 16 major bilateral cooperative
projects.
The projects include Pakistan's cooperation with Dongfang
Electric Corporation on thermal and hydro power, environmental
protection and railway equipment, with Sichuan Electric Power
Import and Export Corporation on transformer substations and with
Sichuan Petroleum Administration on oil-well drilling.
A total of 7 countries -- the United States, Germany, South
Korea, Thailand, France, Singapore and Pakistan -- have now
established consular institutions in Sichuan.
Prior to the Chengdu consulate general, Pakistan opened bureaus
in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2007)
