BEIJING, Oct 13 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday stressed the need for greater cooperation between the defence industries of Pakistan and China as an important step to fortify the all-weather strategic partnership.  The Prime Minister expressed these views in his meeting with Chen Qiufa, Administrator of China’s State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) who led a delegation of China’s defence-related companies.

Prime Minister Gilani told the delegation that Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with China and wanted to further expand and promote bilateral cooperation particularly in the field of defence production.

He said collaboration in defence production would develop a mutual understanding and trust with China, that enjoyed bustling production lines and surging profits in defence industry.

He mentioned that Pakistan was interested in the production of defence-related equipment and setting up of local overhauling facilities, and invited the Chinese companies to invest for joint ventures in this regard.

Chen Qiufa, who is also the deputy minister of China’s Ministry of Industry and Informatization, deliberated on various areas of defence collaborations and called for reviewing the mechanism of Joint Committee on Defence Technology Cooperation.

Later talking to APP, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said the meeting reviewed the progress of ongoing defence-related projects between the two countries.

He said Pakistan has close and extensive partnership with China in defence, space technology and peaceful cooperation in nuclear industry.

He said the Chinese government wants to make Pakistan self-reliant in the field of defence, adding that the meeting also discussed progress of cooperation in JF-17 Thunder Project, Al Khalid tank, F-22 frigates, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), aircraft and naval ships.

Other topics that came under discussion included establishment of more working groups under the Joint Committee to study and find out strategic fields for cooperation, and joint projects in aviation industry, shipbuilding and technology industry.

The companies that comprised the delegation included China’s Poly Technologies - a defence manufacturing company dealing with missile technology, Aviation Industries Corporation of China (AVIC), China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), China Electronics Technology Group (CETC) and China North Industry Corporation (NORINCO).