China, Pakistan vow to build 'community of shared destiny'

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds a welcoming ceremony for visiting Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 19, 2014. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday and the two leaders pledged to forge a China-Pakistan "community of shared destiny".

"China and Pakistan are good friends, good partners, good neighbors and good brothers," Xi said during the talks at the Great Hall of the People.

The Chinese side will treat the China-Pakistan ties, as always, from a strategic and long-term perspective, and the ties will be a priority in China's relations with its neighbors, he said.

Hailing the all-weather, time-tested friendship between the two countries, Hussain said to further cement the friendship serves as "the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy".

Support for the unique relationship resonates across Pakistan at all levels including the government, political parties and the people, said the Pakistani president.

Pakistan is willing to build a community of shared destiny with China, said the visiting president. He arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a four-day state visit at Xi's invitation.

Hussain said the Pakistani side is appreciative of China's strategic vision and believes China is an important power to promote peace and development in the world as well as in the region.

It is Hussain's first official foreign trip since taking office in September.

Before their talks, Xi held a red-carpet ceremony to welcome Hussain at the hall in downtown Beijing.

China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang met with Hussain earlier on Wednesday and Premier Li Keqiang is scheduled to meet with the visiting president on Thursday.

During Wednesday's talks, the two presidents agreed to enhance the strategic and cooperative partnership between the two countries, featuring a more solid political foundation, closer economic links, deepened security cooperation and more fluent cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

"China would stand firmly behind Pakistan's efforts to uphold its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and Pakistan would be opposed to any force that attempts to undermine China's sovereignty," according to a news release after the talks.

Xi and Hussain vowed to make joint efforts to cement the traditional friendship and yield more results of practical cooperation out of the friendship.

They agreed to keep high-level interactions and strategic communication between the two countries, and support each other firmly on issues involving their core interests and major concerns.

The two presidents pledged to step up coordination on economic policy, boost defense and security cooperation, increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and enhance coordination on international and regional issues.

During the talks, Xi also said China supports and appreciates Pakistan's efforts to realize reconciliation with India, and Hussain said Pakistan will continue dialogue with India to improve ties with them.

The two presidents also witnessed the signing of a series of cooperative documents by authorities and enterprises from both sides in areas such as economic and trade cooperation, regional connectivity, energy, and people-to-people contact.