On the afternoon of February 24, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao held a telephone conversation with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who is on a visit to Shanghai, China.

Hu first congratulated Zardari on his successful visit, expressing belief that his current visit will help promote pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in all areas.

Hu pointed out that exchanges and cooperation between China and Pakistan are increasingly deepening in politics, economy, security and culture. China and Pakistan support each other and cooperate closely in international and regional affairs, the Chinese president said. The development of Sino-Pakistani relations has taken on favorable momentum, he said. China and Pakistan are good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good brothers. The Chinese government pays great attention to the Sino-Pakistani relationship and is willing to make joint efforts with Pakistan to push the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries to a new high, Hu told the Pakistani president.

Zardari, for his part, thanked the Chinese side for its warm reception, saying he was pleased with his visit to China. Pakistan is ready to keep high-level exchanges with China, reinforce mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly push forward the Pakistani-Sino relationship and promote peace and development in the region, he said.

Zardari briefed Hu on the development of the Pakistani-Indian relationship, saying his country is ready to continue advancing active ties with India.

Hu said China supports Pakistan and India's efforts to deal with relevant issues properly through dialogue and cooperation and maintain peace and stability in South Asia.

Invited by the Chinese government, Zardari visited Wuhan and Shanghai on Feb. 20-24.