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Pakistan plays China card with Prime Minister's visit
Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's visit to China from Tuesday allows Islamabad to show it has another major power to turn to just as relations with the United States have faced intense strain after the killing of Osama bin Laden.The visit is part of long-planned celebrations for 60 years of diplomatic ties but the vows of support from Beijing will be especially timely for Islamabad. "We are proud to have China as our best and most trusted friend and China will always find Pakistan standing beside it at all times," Gilani told China's Xinhua news agency before leaving for China. "To test a friend whether true or not, it needs time and means under crisis," he said. "This visit will be a show for the U.S., the Pakistani public and the wider world that Pakistan has other options," said Andrew Small, a researcher at the German Marshall Fund think tank in Brussels who has studied China's role in Pakistan. Posted by: tipper 2011-05-17 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=322775 |