Pakistan fails to get China's commitment on nuclear deal

Beijing, Oct 17 : The Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari has reportedly failed to get a commitment from China on his proposal for broadening the nuclear relationship between the two countries.

In the past two days of his first presidential visit to Beijing, Zardari is believed to have been persuading Chinese leaders to sign a Sino-Pakistan nuclear deal on the lines of the India-US nuclear deal.

China has reportedly indicated that it would consider Zardari's request after examining the changing situation concerning India-US nuclear relationship and Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Zardari is believed to have told Chinese leaders that a Sino-Pakistan deal on nuclear energy would help Beijing counter the effects of the India-US deal.

According to reports, China is reluctant to go ahead with the idea as they regard Pakistan to be politically unstable.

However, Chinese President Hu Jintao left no one in doubt that China values its four-decade long friendship with Pakistan by receiving Zardari with a 21-gun military salute at the Tiananmen Square.

"Your entire family is old friends of the Chinese people. We will never forget the outstanding contribution Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had made to boosting ties with China," said Jintao to Zardari.

Meanwhile, China has agreed to launch a telecommunication satellite, dubbed PakSat-1R, for Pakistan in 2011.

ANI