Chinese vice premier meets Pakistani military official

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) shakes hands with Khalid Shameem Wynne, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan, during their meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 29, 2013. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli met with Khalid Shameem Wynne, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan, in Beijing on Thursday.

Maintaining and deepening strategic cooperation between China and Pakistan is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and is also the common aspiration of the two peoples, Zhang said.

Acknowledging new progress in trade, agriculture, technology and energy, Zhang said the two governments' conception for a long-term plan for a China-Pakistan economic corridor has given new momentum to bilateral ties.

He said he hoped both sides would seize opportunities to turn the advantages of bilateral political relations into more fruitful cooperation.

Wynne said the Pakistani government attaches great importance to its relations with China and regards it as the bedrock of its foreign policy, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China, including military cooperation, to protect their common interests.