Musharraf to visit China, agreements to be signed

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will pay a six-day state visit to China from April 10, his first foreign trip since the new coalition government took over, during which several bilateral agreements are expected to be signed.

New Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar will accompany Musharraf during the visit. It will also be the first trip abroad by the new ministers.

Though Musharraf is going to China to attend a meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), he and the ministers are scheduled to meet the top Chinese leadership, including President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

Musharraf will address the inaugural session of the BFA, which will be held in the seaside town of Boao in Hainan Province during April 11-13.

Both countries are expected to sign several cooperative agreements during the visit, official sources said. Besides regional and bilateral issues, the two sides will review trade and business ties, they said.

Musharraf is visiting China at the invitation of President Hu and the trip is "part of regular high-level interaction between the two countries and reflective of close bilateral ties", said a statement from the Foreign Office.

"The President and the Chinese leadership will review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations and discuss regional issues and international developments," it said.

The annual BFA meeting will focus on environment-related talks to build a sustainable Asia. The theme of the BFA this year is "Green Asia: moving towards win-win through changes".

Musharraf is also expected to meet other world leaders attending the BFA.

The BFA was established in 2001 as a platform for high-level interaction between leaders from Asia and the world. Participants in the conference will discuss the move

towards energy efficiency, how to secure Asia's future through renewable energy sources, and how the private sector can contribute to improving the environment.

On the last leg of his visit, Musharraf will visit Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region of China, which has a large Muslim population, and meet the local leadership. China has said Muslim extremists in Xinjiang had tried to stage an "uprising" against its rule last month.

Musharraf's visit will "reinforce the all-weather, time-tested friendship between the two countries and further enhance and deepen strategic cooperative partnership", the statement said.