Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Boao Saturday with Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Hu met Jamali after delivering a keynote speech and answering questions at the opening ceremony of the annual conference 2004 ofthe Boao Forum for Asia (BFA). Jamali attended the opening meeting of the BFA session, which was held at Boao Township in thesouthernmost island province of Hainan.

The Chinese president said Jamali's presence at the on-going BFA session, a follow-up of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf'sparticipation in the forum's annual meeting last year, indicates that Pakistan attaches importance to regional cooperation in Asia.

"We Asian countries should make constant efforts to promote a regional cooperation framework featuring equality and mutual benefit, gradual opening-up, multi-sectors and multi-level, and tomake due contribution to world peace and development," Hu said.

China and Pakistan are important countries of Asia. Bilateral comprehensive cooperation partnership is a valuable treasure for the two countries and the two peoples, Hu said.

The Chinese Government attaches importance to Sino-Pakistani friendship and bilateral cooperation, Hu noted.

"We believe that the Sino-Pakistani comprehensive cooperation partnership will continuously bear fruits and make important contribution to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia," the Chinese president said.

The hosting of the BFA demonstrates that China attaches importance to cooperation with Asian countries, and that the non-governmental forum will play an important role in promoting bilateral, regional cooperation and the cooperation between Asia and other parts of the world, Jamali said.

China's development benefits Chinese people and is conducive tothe peace and development of Asia and the world as a whole, the Pakistani prime minister noted.

It's the strategic choice of each Pakistani government to push forward friendly cooperation with China in all sectors including political and economic fields, he said.

Source: Xinhua