Islamabad: Shaukat Aziz to visit China

Islamabad, Apr 11: Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will visit China for talks with Chinese leadership on a range of bilateral, regional and security issues from April 16.

During the six-day visit, Mr Aziz will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao and meet President Hu Jintao.

''The visit is part of high-level interaction between the two countries, foreign ministry, spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said in Islamabad today.

The Prime Minister will also be meeting Chief Executives of various leading corporations of China. His other engagements in Beijing include meetings with several important ministers and an address at the Communist Party School.

At Chengdu, the Prime Minister will inaugurate new Consulate General of Pakistan and address students at Sichuan University.

On the last leg of his visit, the Prime Minister will visit BOAO where he will be a keynote speaker at the BOAO Forum for Asia .

As a follow up to the Five Year Development Programme on Trade and Economic Cooperation and Free Trade Agreement signed on the occasion of President Hu Jintao's visit to Pakistan in November 2006, a number of agreements/MoUs will be signed during the Prime Minister's visit to China.

UNI