China is pursuing an "enlightened" policy in all domains, said Pakistan's Ambassador to China Salman Bashir. In a recent interview with Beijing Review, he discussed the all-round cooperation between the two countries and what the growing relationship could mean to the world at large.

Beijing Review: How do you define the importance of President Hu Jintao's visit to Pakistan?

Salman Bashir: President Hu Jintao's visit to Pakistan is of great significance for Pakistan-China friendship and partnership. It forms an essential part of the ongoing close leadership contacts between the two countries. President Pervez Musharraf twice came to China this year. Last year, Premier Wen Jiabao visited Pakistan.

President Hu's visit is taking place at a very important time when our comprehensive cooperation and our bilateral relations are being elevated to new heights, and so it is a big landmark in Pakistan-China friendship and partnership.

China and Pakistan have just wrapped up negotiations on a free trade agreement. What do you think are its implications?

We are very happy that our two countries have finalized their discussions and reached agreement on establishing a free trade agreement. This covers trade in both goods and investment, and Pakistan attaches great importance to it. We are very happy to be among the first countries with which China has signed a free trade agreement. The remarkable thing about this agreement is that it has been finalized in a very short period of time. Negotiations started just after the visit [of Premier Wen] last year and within a few months we reached agreement. This shows the remarkable level of trust and confidence that we have created between our two countries.

Both Pakistan and China have set themselves ambitious trade targets. Within the next four to five years, we should be able to quadruple our bilateral trade from the present $4 billion. This will facilitate and provide comfort to our entrepreneurs and business people. Pakistan, of course, welcomes greater engagement with China across the board in terms of investment and trade. This provides a framework to promote economic cooperation. I must say that our objective is to achieve closer economic integration.

Pakistan and China have been cooperating in a number of areas for many years. I can say that, so far, the emphasis has been on the public sector, while Chinese state-