Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), said on Friday that China would like work together with Pakistan to continuously push forward bilateral relations.

Wu made the remark in his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who is in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, to attend the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) scheduled to open on April 21.

Wu called for expanding the area of and exploring new approaches to cooperation between the two counties and enhancing exchanges and cooperation between the industrial and business communities.
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Wu spoke highly of the comprehensive bilateral cooperation on politics trade, science and technology and culture, noting that the boom of two-way trade has injected new vitality into China-Pakistan relations.

China treasures its traditional friendship with Pakistan and attaches great importance to ties with Pakistan, Wu said, adding China would like to work with Pakistan to step up the bilateral relations.

China and Pakistan are close and friendly neighbors and all-weather cooperative partners, the Chinese top legislator said, noting that the bilateral relationship "could be a good suit for other developing countries to follow".

Aziz said that his successful visit to China significantly pushed forward friendly relations between the two countries, noting that Pakistan regards China as a strategic partner and appreciates China's support and assistance to Pakistani economic and social development.

Aziz expressed his willingness to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani businesses within the BFA framework.

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Aziz arrived in Beijing on Monday. His visit to China also includes a trip to Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

During his stay in Beijing, he witnessed the signing of 13 agreements on cooperation in fields such as space, telecommunications, education and legal assistance, which was regarded as move to raise the strategic partnership "to a new level".

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2007)