Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called for the consolidation and development of China's strategic and cooperative partnership with Pakistan in a meeting with visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday.

He said China and Pakistan share an all-weather friendship, pledging that China will continue to cement the cooperation based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in order to help maintain regional peace and stability.

As neighbors, China and Pakistan can gain mutual benefit from expansive trade opportunities, Wen said, advising the two governments to strengthen macro planning and readjust the trade structure to achieve mutual complementarity in bilateral trade.

Companies from the two countries should strengthen cooperation in ways that better serve a market-oriented economy, Wen said.

"The Chinese government encourages Chinese businesses to invest and participate in Pakistan's economic construction and China hopes the Pakistan will take effective measures to safeguard the life of Chinese people in Pakistan", the Chinese Premier stressed.

In response to Wen's request, Musharraf reiterated that Pakistan welcomes Chinese investment and the country would take such measures.

Musharraf said Pakistan and China have forged a close relationship and the two countries support each other on many significant international issues, expressing his appreciation for China's timely disaster-relief and reconstruction efforts to Pakistan after the severe earthquake last year.

This demonstrates the friendship between the Chinese people and the Pakistani people, Musharraf stressed.

The Pakistani president said his country is willing to make joint efforts with China to promote the bilateral trade cooperation by pushing forward negotiations on the free trade zone.

Pakistan also hopes to pass the friendship from generation to generation through expansion of cooperation in such fields as public health and education, Musharraf said.

China and Pakistan on Monday signed a series of agreements on trade, energy, agriculture and defense. The two countries will also step up collaboration on vocational training, fisheries, seismic studies, meteorological sciences and family planning.

Source: Xinhua