China and Pakistan on Monday inked a series of agreements on wide-ranging topics, a sign of stronger ties between the two traditional allies.

The agreements, which ranged from trade and energy to agriculture and defense, were signed after Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf, who arrived here on Sunday for a five-day visit, on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist killing of three Chinese engineers in Pakistan last Wednesday, vowing to seize the culprits as soon as possible and mete out harsh punishment on them.

Musharraf said earlier that Pakistan's friendship with China will "not be affected by the incident."

In response, President Hu said that China "believes the Pakistani government will severely punish the criminals and take concrete measures to ensure the security of Chinese citizens and organizations in Pakistan."

In the two-hour meeting on Monday afternoon, Hu and Musharraf reviewed the development of China-Pakistan ties, which Hu said are "all-weather" and "time-tested."

The friendship serves as a" paradigm" of peaceful coexistence and sincere cooperation between countries of different social systems and cultures, Hu said.

Echoing Hu's view, Musharraf said the Pakistani government and people take China as "a trustworthy neighbour and friend" and would like to carry on the bilateral friendship and step up the strategic cooperation.

Musharraf's visit coincided with the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two neighbors.

He will unveil a series of commemorative events in Beijing apart from meeting other senior Chinese leaders, including China's top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao.

"These important exchanges of visits of the leaders of the two countries have set the direction for further strengthening Pakistan-China relations in the 21st century," Pakistani Ambassador to China Salman Bashir said days ahead of Musharraf's China visit.

According to the bilateral deals reached on Monday, China and Pakistan will step up collaboration on vocational training, pesticide cooperation and fisheries.

The two countries will also work together on earthquake studies, meteorological science and family planning.

President Hu suggested the two sides complete the ongoing projects and expand collaboration in fields such as energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure, which are all covered in Monday's agreements.

The two sides also signed an agreement regarding the utilization of the preferential buyer's credit.

Hu said he hoped the two sides could ratchet up the negotiation process, so as to set up the China-Pakistan free trade area as soon as possible.

Moreover, Hu called for further cooperation on security and a joint crackdown on the "three forces" plaguing both countries, namely terrorism, separatism and extremism.

"The friendship between the two countries has matured into a 'comprehensive strategic partnership' for peace and development in the past years," Bashir, the Pakistani ambassador, said.

Calling for better relations between Pakistan and India, Hu said China would like to see the two countries resolve their disputes, such as the Kashmir issue, through negotiations.

China is ready to develop friendly relations with all South Asian countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, Hu said. "We hope the South Asia region will maintain peace and stability and seek common development."

Bashir said Musharraf's visit will "constitute another landmark in the glorious history" of bilateral relations.

Musharraf will also visit Southwest China's Sichuan Province, the hometown of giant pandas, before he wraps up the visit on Thursday.

Source: Xinhua