A spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Office Kong Quan has welcomed Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali's visit to China, scheduled to take place next week.
Jamali will arrive in the Chinese Hainan Province to attend the annual conference of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on April 24 and address an investment conference in Hong Kong on April 26.
We appreciate Pakistan's high-level participation at the Boao conference which aims at promoting economic co-operation among the regional countries," the spokesman said while talking to APP here on Friday.
He said, "The conference will also provide an opportunity to the visiting leaders from the Asian countries to hold bilateral meetings on matters of common interest."
Jamali will be the key-speaker at the opening session, which will be inaugurated by the Chinese President Hu Jintao.
The conference would be attended by about 1,000 delegates from all over the world, mostly from Asian countries.
They include Cambodian Prime Minister Bamdech Hun Sen, former Prime Mnister Malaysia Dr Mahatir Bin Mohammad, Former President George H.W. Bush and President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus.
The conference, with a topic 'An Asia open to the World' would particularly deliberate upon the economic difficulties, being faced by Asian countries as well as their future needs.
According to the officials of the Boao Forum, the participants may also discuss ways and means to establish a free trade regime among the Asian counties.
Prime Minister Jamali's presence in the conference is highly encouraging to develop the forum and consolidate the bonds of economic partnership at the regional level.
China hopes that the leaders of Asian nations will work together for an integrated Asia, pushing for its openness with the rest of the world.
It believes that the forum can help create a 'win-win' situation for economic development through closer ties.
The regional economic forum was launched in 2002. Delegates from 25 Asian countries including Pakistan had endorsed a declaration, establishing the BFA, a regional version of the World Economic Forum.