LAHORE, April 7: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said the economic bond between his country and Pakistan will grow stronger in the future. “Sino-Pakistan ties are based on geographical, political, cultural, and economic bonds. I’m certain that the economic bond would grow firmer, and more sustaining in the future,” Mr Jiabao said during his visit to a Chinese home appliances manufacturing plant on Raiwind Road on Thursday.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also accompanied him to the plant. Later, the Chinese leader left for Bangladesh.

Both Mr Jiabao and Mr Aziz urged businessmen from Pakistan and China to “join hands to explore the global markets for increasing their share in the international business and trade”.

“The business communities of the two countries must join hands to explore the world markets; they should expand (together) their market share in South Asia and the world (at large),” Premier Wen Jiabao said.

“The new direction of the Sino-Pak relations is based very much on economic cooperation between the two nations and their private sectors,” said Prime Minister Aziz. “We want Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan and export to the whole world from here. We’ll extend fullest cooperation to them. The Pakistan government wants them to invest here, grow and become global,” he said.

Mr Jiabao urged the Chinese investors to set up joint ventures in Pakistan, train workers, establish R&D facilities and innovate to expand in South Asian and other world markets.

He was hopeful that cooperation between the businessmen of the two countries would benefit both China and Pakistan.

Mr Aziz also stated that Pakistan could benefit immensely from Chinese technology, expertise, and investment.