China has promised to further its military links with Pakistan to cement the 'all-weather' friendship between the two.
"Relations between China and Pakistan have overcome the twists and turns in history and maintained a good development momentum," Chinese Defence Minister General Cao Gangchuan said on Monday.
"China is willing to further cooperation between the two armed forces to cement the relationship," Cao told visiting Pakistani Deputy Chief of Army Staff Ahsan Saleem Hayat in Beijing during a meeting, the Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.
The senior Pakistani army official's visit come ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's maiden visit to Islamabad.
Hayat, who was in Beijing to attend the third Sino-Pakistani defence and security talks, also met Gen Liang Guanglie, chief of staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Liang said the cooperation with the two armed forces had been fruitful in recent years, and the talks would inject new vigour into it.
The armed forces of the two countries held the first joint anti-terror military exercise last year to crack down on the 'three forces' of terrorism, separatism and extremism.
Hayat also expressed support for China's recently passed Anti-Secession Law, which is aimed to curb Taiwan from securing independence.
