E-Paper
Shaukat Aziz meets Chinese officials
Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz heads for the southwest Chinese city where his country is involved in a joint project to develop a fighter jet.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz headed on Thursday for the southwest Chinese city where his country is involved in a joint project to develop a fighter jet.
Aziz flew to Chengdu after meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing on terrorism and other issues including Afghanistan, Iran and India.
The prime minister, in China on a week-long visit, will use his trip to Chengdu to attend the inaugural ceremony of Pakistan's consulate general.
China, Pakistan's main military supplier, has set up a joint project in Chengdu to develop the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft. It was unclear from reports if Aziz planned to visit the facility.
Aziz on Wednesday met with President Hu Jintao.
"To win hearts and minds, we should provide (potential terrorists) with economic prosperity and a better future full of hope," Aziz said.
China says it is under threat from terrorists seeking to create a separate state in its western-most Muslim-majority Xinjiang region.
According to Thursday's edition of the People's Daily, Aziz argued that "military methods alone cannot win the war against terrorism."
"Without a plan for political participation and economic and social development, the problem of terrorism will never be fully resolved."
Aziz met earlier with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, and the two oversaw the signing of 13 agreements on cooperation in areas such as space, telecoms, education and legal assistance.
