Sharif's ally elected president

Little impact

The election of Mamnoon Hussain will have little impact on China-Pakistan ties and will likely contribute to regional stability, Chinese experts said.

Under the 18th amendment to Pakistan's constitution, the president no longer has the authority to intervene in political matters and the actual power now lies with the prime minister.

"It is the Pakistani government that enjoys dominance in state affairs, not the president," Chen Jidong, director of the Pakistan Study Center at Sichuan University, said.

"The president is more of a symbolic figure who plays mediator when domestic conflicts arise."

Fu Xiaoqiang, deputy researcher of South Asian affairs at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the presidential election is a normal transfer of power in Pakistan.

"Since the Sino-Pakistani relationship has been barely affected by its power transfers through history, this election will also have no influence on bilateral relations," Fu said.

Sun Shihai, an expert on Indian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Hussain's election will further unite political powers in the country.

"Hussain is from the same party as Sharif. There will be no severe disagreements between the two top leaders, which will strengthen the governing," he said.

The consistency of the country's foreign policy will also be guaranteed, he said.

"Sharif has been making efforts to ease the tension between India and Pakistan. A more united government also means more stable progress in the normalization of the India-Pakistan relationship."