Pakistani PM meets his Chinese counterpart

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang Friday during his five-day official visit to China, with boosting economic ties at the top of the agenda. Sharif said at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital of Beijing that his welcome, "reminds me of the saying, our friendship is higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the deepest sea in the world, and sweeter than honey." This is his first official tour abroad his party own the general elections recently. His Chinese counterpart said to Nawaz, "I greatly appreciate your great warmth and deep affection for the people of China." The two countries have been involved in different economic projects including Pakistan's Gwadar port which was taken by China earlier this year. China-Pakistan trade last year reached USD 12 billion. However, the two countries aim at boosting trade volume to reach USD 15 billion by the next two or three years. Pakistani prime minister met President of China, Xi Jinping and Chinese heads and chief executives officers of financial institutions and corporate sector on Thursday to help resolve Pakistan's energy problems and development of infrastructure projects. The threat of terrorism is also expected to be discussed during Sharif's talks.