Hailing the development of Pakistan-China relationship in the past five decades, Musharraf said Pakistan considered the ties with China, an all-weather friend, as the backbone of its foreign policy.

He called the friendship the "living example of harmony", saying it goes beyond the leadership and deep into the hearts of the two peoples.

Turning to economics and trade, Musharraf pledged more cooperation with China, taking advantage of Pakistan's position of "energy corridor" between China and the Middle East.

"Pakistan is very much in favor of a pipeline between the Gulf and China through Pakistan, and I have been speaking about this with your leadership," Musharraf told the audience.

He called for efforts to step up Pakistan-China bilateral trade volume to 15 billion U.S. dollars by 2011, and more joint cooperation in the World Trade Organization for a just, equilibrium order of world economy.

Pakistan and China would also expand educational cooperation, said the president, noting that the two sides will jointly set up an engineering and technology college in Islamabad.

Musharraf started his six-day state visit to China on April 10 in Sanya City of southern China's Hainan Province, where he attended the annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and held talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao.

After he arrived in the Chinese capital on Sunday, he met with Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and top political advisor Jia Qinglin, respectively.

He will visit northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region before ending the tour on Tuesday.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2008)