Chinese Premier meets FMs of Pakistan, Kazakstan

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev.

In his meeting with Qureshi, Wen commented on the good neighborly-ties between China and Pakistan and recalled his visit to Islamabad back to 2005.

Qureshi, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday, was the first foreign minister to visit China after the Lunar New Year holiday.

Qureshi started by giving his greeting to Wen for the new year, the Year of the Tiger. "The tiger symbolizes strength and I wish the Chinese people and government move from strength to strength this year," Qureshi said.

"Wen and Qureshi exchanged views on the bilateral relationship and major international and regional issues," according to a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

In another meeting with Kazakhstan's Saudabayev, Wen said it was significant for officials of both countries to map out their cooperation at the start of spring.

Saudabayev conveyed the greetings of Kazakhstan's leaders to Wen.

Both discussed the countries' bilateral relationship and major international and regional issues.

Before meeting with Wen, Saudabayev held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Yang said China was ready to work with Kazakhstan to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fields of transportation, economy and trade, among others.

Saudabayev said Kazakhstan would maintain its efforts to advance strategic cooperation with China and support China's stance on Taiwan and Tibet-related issues.

Source: Xinhua