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Hu ends South Asian trip focused on trade diplomacy
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Hu ends South Asian trip focused on trade diplomacy
Chinese President Hu Jintao ended a four-day visit to Pakistan yesterday during which he promised to work with Islamabad to elevate strategic ties to ?a new high? and strengthen trade and economic cooperation.
Hu had visited India immediately before coming to Pakistan, and the Chinese leader avoided taking sides over the South Asian rival?s perennial dispute over the Kashmir region, and instead focused on economic partnerships with both countries.
Pakistan has treasured its relationship with China, mainly because the East Asian giant offered it a counterweight in dealings with India, and continued to supply arms in the 1990s, when the United States shunned Pakistan because of its nuclear weapons program.
China has its own territorial disputes with India, and two nations are still trying to overcome decades of mistrust going back to a border war in 1962. These days, China is keenly focused on forging economic ties with its neighbors.
During Hu?s visit to Islamabad, China and Pakistan signed a free trade pact that could boost annual trade from $ 4.26 billion last year to $15 billion within five years. China also said it would continue to support Pakistan?s nuclear energy program.
Pakistan?s Daily Times newspaper noted how adroitly China was managing its relations with Pakistan and India. ?So no one in Islamabad should be miffed that China has excused itself from taking sides on the Kashmir issue,? the editorial said yesterday.
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