October 21, 2003	Tuesday	Sha'aban 24, 1424

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BEIJING, Oct 20: Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat arrived here on Monday on a week-long visit to China.

Defence sources told APP that the air chief during the visit would meet top-level Chinese military leaders to discuss matters of bilateral interests.

The two sides would also discuss their ongoing cooperation in the civil aviation sector, sources said.

In a recent interview President Yang Chunshu of China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) said China would further improve its cooperation with Pakistan in development and sale of military and non-military aircraft in the coming years.

He said, “The maiden flight of the fighter jet, the Xiao Long or JF17 last month, was a clear indication that the cooperation between the two countries in the aviation industry has borne another important fruit,” Mr Yang said.

“The JF17 fighter jet project, which China and Pakistan jointly funded, started in 1999 when the CATIC signed a cooperative agreement with the Pakistan Air Force,” he said.—APP