Pakistani PM's China trip to boost economic co-op

BEIJING - Pakistan's new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday, only about a month after his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang visited the South Asian country.

The third-time prime minister is scheduled to meet with China's top leaders during his six-day tour. The timing and the arrangements once again testify to the high level of mutual trust and special friendship between the two neighbors.

However, one should not fail to notice a new trend of the "all-weather strategic partnership" between China and Pakistan.

High on Sharif's agenda would probably be talks over an economic corridor connecting Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to the southwestern Pakistani port of Gwadar.

The project, hopeful to become another highlight of the bilateral ties, symbolizes that both countries have shifted their focus to economic and practical cooperation.

The recent high-level visits would inject fresh impetus into the trend of increasing bilateral cooperation in economic sectors, besides that in the realms of politics and military.

It is a wise move from Beijing and Islamabad to take bolder actions to accelerate the translation of their political partnership into results of pragmatic economic cooperation at the current time. It is in the fundamental interests of China and Pakistan, both of which are now at a crucial stage of development and highly complementary in economy.

For Pakistan, a country still facing difficult tasks in social and economic development, China not only provides assistance but also helps to improve its "blood-making capability" which is crucial to reviving its economy and ensure healthy and sustainable development.

For China, economic cooperation with Pakistan, particularly the economic corridor project, links China's strategy to develop its western region with the South Asian country's domestic development, among others.

There are still some people in the world suspecting that China and Pakistan have formed an alliance to contain the influence of a third country.

They, clinging to a Cold War mentality, neglected the fact that China never seeks to develop ties with a country at the expense of its relationship with the others.

The China-Pakistan partnership actually makes contribution to regional development.

China has done its endeavor to safeguard regional stability by assisting Pakistan, which is in the front line of the anti-terrorist war, in building its anti-terror capacity.

The two countries have also contributed a lot to regional prosperity, as Pakistan serves as a bridge between China and countries in southern, central and western Asia when Asia's largest economy develops relations and cooperation with these countries.