ISLAMABAD, Sep 4 (APP): Talking to reporters, Chinese ambassador to Islamabad Lou Zhaohui said that within the last one year President Zardari has twice met both the Chinese premier and the president.

Zhaohui said the interaction will further deepen friendship with China. “It is important for the two sides leadership to establish personal friendship.”

He deeply appreciated Pakistan’s stance over July 5 incidents in Xinjiang province and said Pakistan was among the first countries in the world to have issued a statement in support of China.

Replying to a question, the ambassador said that Pakistan’s religious political parties too support China on these incidents.

He mentioned that Pakistan has improved economically over the last one year and the security situation too has improved.

Zhaohui said that President Zardari during his first official visit to China last October had committed to come there every three months and each time visit a new province.

President Zardari, he added, has kept his promise and has so far visited his country thrice learning from Chinese model of development and holding interactions with various business leaders, economists and agriculturists.

To a question about the protocol that the President was given in China, the ambassador said that no head of state is ever given such a protocol if he is on a working visit to cities other than Beijing.

“This is rare. When dignitaries from other countries are there in Chinese provinces, they are received by an official of the Chinese foreign ministry. No one outside Beijing gets protocol which President Zardari receives during his working visits,” Zhaohui said.

He said although President Zardari was not on a state visit, but still he was received by vice premier and the foreign minister also met him in Guangzhou.

“The Chinese were in fact touched by his desire for progress of Pakistan,” he added.

Ambassador Lou Zhaohui also dwelt upon areas of Pakistan-China cooperation and other international and regional issues.

He said in financial area, due to the nature of bilateral relations, China has already given one billion dollars in two tranche to enhance Pakistan’s foreign reserves. He said 500 million dollars were earlier given in 1998.

“Pakistan is the only country in the world whom China has ever given such deposit on very low interest,” he said.

He said last year there were 3,000 Chinese engineers working in Pakistan on a number of projects, but this year their number has increased to 10,000 and the total projects they are working in are 120.

Expressing his satisfaction over the security that interior ministry is providing to Chinese diplomats and engineers, he said the embassy has a joint task force with Pakistan’s interior ministry and have a 24 hours hotline.

“A number of foreigners left Pakistan, but we are committed to complete all the projects on which Chinese are working,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said for timely completion of Gawadar Port, China provided 300 million dollars and was interested in its operating rights, which were given to Singapore Port Authority.

He said China is also cooperating in Neelum Jhelum power project and in defence field his country has provided JF-17 fighter jets and handed over Frigate-22 to Pak Navy.

The ambassador informed that an MoU between the two countries will be signed next week to launch Pakistan’s satellite into space.

To a question about the situation in Afghanistan, he said, peace there will not only be in the interest of that country but also for the whole region.

Zhaohui stated that relations with India were improving and recent talks on border issues have been satisfactory and some Indian army officials have also visited China.

Pakistan, he added, has always given China unconditional support on Taiwan and human rights issues.

He said separatists belonging to Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement were hiding in FATA and in this regard “we got lot of concrete cooperation from Pakistan - the President, Prime Minister, the Army and the intelligence agencies.”