President Hu Jintao will wrap up his four-nation tour in Pakistan, which China describes as a trustworthy and reliable friend and partner.

The impregnable Sino-Pakistani relationship, that is hailed as "all-weather" and "time-tested," has long enabled the two neighbors to be at ease with each other.

And the warmth has been growing with the passage of time.

President Hu is scheduled to give a televised speech today in Islamabad, reaffirming the weight China attaches to its relations with the South Asian nation.

The first Chinese president visiting Pakistan in a decade, Hu will open a new chapter in bilateral relations.

A package of deals the two countries will hammer out will be a vivid expression of the strength of the China-Pakistan ties.

The co-operation between China and Pakistan in the sphere of nuclear energy will be on the agenda of the leaders of the two countries.

An agreement on the two countries' peaceful use of nuclear co-operation provides a framework for initiating co-operation in a fair and win-win manner. They are subject to supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

They are entitled to the well-supervised civilian nuclear co-operation.

The free trade agreement the two countries are likely to sign will help bilateral trade flourish qualitatively.

Hu went to Pakistan to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. His visit will reinforce the bonds of friendship between the two leaders and two countries.

Close neighbors linked by geography, history, culture and shared values, China and Pakistan have a relationship rooted in the popular ethos and based on complete trust and mutual understanding.

Hu will add a more vigorous link to the Sino-Pakistani friendly bond, which is salient in one way or another. The young tree he will plant in the Shakarparian, a park housing eight pine trees planted by other Chinese leaders, will be a new marker of the friendship.

The Karakoram Highway traversing the mighty Himalayas is another symbol of China-Pakistan co-operation. When people refer to their friendship as higher than mountains, they have in mind the engineering marvel as its tangible illustration.

It has turned out to be an enduring monument to the 82 Chinese who lost their lives during its construction.

Reminiscent of the ancient Silk Road, the Karakoram Highway is a conduit not only for merchandise and artefacts but also for mutually enriching interaction in the realms of philosophy and culture.

The highway demonstrates the depth, height and the expanse of the Sino-Pakistani friendship.

President Hu's four-day visit to Pakistan will display the resolve of the two countries to reach new heights in their "time-tested" and "all-weather" friendship, partnership and co-operation.

(China Daily November 24, 2006)