Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan arrived in Islamabad on Sunday, starting his two-day official good-will visit to Pakistan.

Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Chunxiang and scores of officials from both sides welcomed Tang at the Islamabad International Airport.

The state councilor is to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz later on Sunday, President Pervez Musharraf and Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri on Monday, to exchange views on strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries and other issues of mutual interest.

Pakistan is the first leg of Tang's four-nation Asian tour, which also covers India, Malaysia and Thailand.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2004)