09 June 2004	Wednesday	20 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jun 8: Li Tieying, vice-chairman, National People's Congress of China who met Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Tuesday afternoon said that Gwadar project would be completed on schedule.

Mr Kasuri warmly welcomed the high-level delegation accompanying the Chinese leader at Foreign Office and hosted a lunch in their honour. Shi Guangsheng, former commerce and trade minister of China accompanied the vice-chairman.

The two leaders spoke about the all-weather friendship between Pakistan and China which has remained strong over the years while acquiring a special dimension. Mr Kasuri strongly condemned the terrorist attacks at Gawadar on Chinese engineers.

Assuring his Chinese interlocutors that investigations are under way and very soon the culprits will be brought to justice, he told the Chinese dignitaries that Pakistan and China will coordinate closely to fight forces of extremism and terrorism.

The Chinese leaders assured Mr Kasuri that the Gwadar project will be completed on schedule and that these attacks will neither affect the friendship between the people of the two countries nor cooperation in the Gwadar project.

Meanwhile, a delegation of parliamentarians from China, headed by Li Tieying, called on Commerce Minister Humayun Akhter Khan here on Tuesday. Ex-Chinese foreign trade minister, Shi Guangsheng, who was vice chairman of financial committee, accompanied him. The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Zhang Chunxiang, was also present in the meeting.

The commerce minister stressed the need for more economic cooperation between the two countries. He expressed satisfaction over the conclusion of Preferential Trade Agreement in November last year and hoped that the Study Group formed for concluding Free Trade Agreement would further strengthen the relations.

The commerce minister invited Chinese investors to invest in the garment cities and stated that he was encouraged to see China focussing on their western regions bordering Pakistan.

The Chinese delegation appreciated the longstanding friendship between the two countries and admired Pakistan's support for China's accession to the WTO. Li Tieying and Shi Guangsheng explained the free market reforms in China and the benefits that China had gained through its accession to the WTO.

The chairman of Export Promotion Bureau invited Chinese investors to invest in garment industries in Pakistan by establishing joint projects. He also highlighted the areas of co-operation in leather, footwear, marble and granite industries.

The delegation said that their government attached high priority to economic co-operation with Pakistan and would consider the proposed areas of co-operation. -APP