Top-level Chinese military team due on March 22

A top-level Chinese military delegation will arrive Islamabad on Monday on a five-day visit to Pakistan.
It will be led by the Defence Minister General Cao Gangchuan and includes senior members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
The visit is a part of the on-going efforts to boost bilateral co-operation in the defence sector.
The delegation is scheduled to meet President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, besides other high-ranking civil and military officials.
A senior defence official told the newsmen in Beijing that the two sides will review the existing co-operation as well as to discuss the future strategy for strengthening their decades old strategic partnership in defence sector.
The defence relations between the two countries have always been a great source of building confidence and self-reliance.
Their armed forces are working together in a spirit of safeguarding national sovereignty and promoting regional peace, stability and development.
According to the sources, the visit is highly significant, since it takes place soon after the annual session of the National People Congress (NPC), Chinas highest legislative forum.
The Chinese defence sources said the exchanges and interaction between the two armed forces have increased in the recent years, particularly in the sector of defence production.
The Chinese people and their armed forces have always regarded Pakistan as their sincere, reliable and trustworthy friend and brother, the sources said, adding "the Chinese side has always been willing to make joint efforts with Pakistan to go on advancing the army-to-army friendly and co-operative relations."
The signing of the China-Pakistan joint declaration on the eve of the President's visit was a major step forward taking the bilateral co-operation in all fields of mutual interest to a new height in the 21st century. It covers almost entire spectrum of bilateral co-operation.
The declaration underlines the importance of their defence relations and a regular Defense Security Consultation Mechanism in promoting military-to-military exchanges and co-operation.
General Cao Gangchunan had met President Pervez Musharraf during his visit to Beijing last November.
He is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, state councillor and minister of national defence.