China will keep contact and coordinate positions with Pakistan in a bid to safeguard peace and stability in the region, Jiang, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in a meeting with Muhammad Aziz Khan, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan.

Over the years, Jing said, along with the international community, China and Pakistan have made unremitting efforts for a peaceful solution of the issue of Afghanistan, a neighbor of both China and Pakistan.

China sincerely hopes that all factions in Afghanistan will place national interests and peace above everything else, and implement relevant agreements in a down-to-earth manner, so as to restore peace and tranquillity in the country at an early date, Jiang said.

Jiang said that Afghanistan's fate should be ultimately decided by the Afghan people and at the same time, the United Nations' role is indispensable to the political solution of the Afghanistan issue.

On Sino-Pakistani relations, Jiang said China and Pakistan are friendly close neighbors and over the years the people of the two countries have enjoyed mutual understanding, support and assistance, and forged a deep friendship.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties half a century ago, Jiang said, the two countries' friendly relations of cooperation have withstood the test of changes in the world. Bilateral relations have been characterized by sincerity, friendship, mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.

The president said that South Asia is an important part of Asia and there could be no peace and prosperity in the whole Asia without the stability and development in South Asia.

China sincerely hopes that South Asia will maintain peace and stability and score a rapid and sound economic development, Jiang said.

Aziz said that the people of Pakistan and China have supported each other, treated each other with sincerity, and forged a deep friendship since the countries established diplomatic ties 50 years ago.

The friendly relations of cooperation between the two countries and their armed forces have continued to be consolidated and developed, Aziz said.

He also briefed Jiang on Pakistan's views on the international and regional situations.

(People's Daily January 17, 2002)