26 October 2004	Tuesday	11 Ramazan 1425

Xian, Oct 25: Minister of State for Communication Shahid Jamil Qureshi arrived here on Monday to represent Pakistan at the third International Silk Road Conference.

The theme of the conference is 'Silk Road Rehabilitation and Road Infrastructure Construction'. A large exhibition will also be staged during the conference.

The conference will be significant for the countries of the region to promote their trade links and people-to-people contacts through the Silk Road, said a senior official of the Chinese Communication Ministry.

He said that China attached great importance to the Silk Road for developing its relations with the regional countries. He appreciated Pakistan's support for its rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday at the head of a 20-member Parliamentary delegation on a 10-day official visit to China. He will hold formal talks with his Chinese counterpart Wu Bangguo, Chairman China's National People's Congress the same day.

NPC sources said that the delegation would also meet other Chinese leaders to discuss matters of mutual interest. They expressed the hope that the visit would help to strengthen bilateral cooperation at the levels of two Parliaments.-APP