Chinese, Pakistani presidents discuss ties

BEIJING - Newly-elected Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari Saturday discussed over phone topics concerning the development of bilateral relations and cooperation.

While congratulating Xi on his election to the presidency, Zardari said Pakistan and China are all-weather friends and that the Pakistani people love China.

Pakistan would like to maintain its high-level exchanges with China and to strengthen communication and cooperation between the two countries in bilateral and international affairs, Zardari said.

Pakistan will continue to firmly support China when needed, said the president.

Xi thanked Zardari for his congratulations, and said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperation partners.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 62 years ago, the two countries have been respecting and supporting each other and have carried out comprehensive cooperation, Xi said.

The China-Pakistan relations have withstood the test of time and the fluctuations of international situation, and have achieved healthy and steady development over past decades, Xi said.

He stressed that China attaches great importance to the China-Pakistan relations, and that it is an established policy of the Chinese government to develop the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

China will continue to support Pakistan's efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and independence, and to realize national stability and development, Xi said.

He hoped that the two countries could cooperate closely to maintain and develop their sound relations so that the traditional friendship between the two sides could be passed on from generation to generation.

Xi, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was elected Chinese president and chairman of China's Central Military Commission on Thursday at the plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC).