Beijing:
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing on Wednesday, kicking off his week-long visit to China.
The two are expected to sign agreements in fields including economy, trade and public health, but it was not still clear whether they would sign any deals on nuclear power that has alarmed the US and others.
The visit is Zardari's fifth since he came to office in September 2008, underscoring the close diplomatic, military and commercial ties between the neighbours.
Zardari also met with business leaders in industries ranging from banking to defense in a bid to attract investment to Pakistan, according to a statement from his spokesman.
He singled out energy as a growth industry in Pakistan, where some areas experience electricity outages of up to 18 hours a day.
China agreed in 2008 to build two nuclear power plants for its neighbour, a deal that critics said violated international non-proliferation agreements.
Pakistan, which has leaked sensitive nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the main international agreement meant to stem the spread of nuclear weapons technology. China signed the treaty in the 1990s.
The deal came about after a wide-ranging agreement that allowed the US to sell nuclear fuel, technology and reactors to India, which like Pakistan is not a signatory to the Nonproliferation Treaty.
China, a major arms supplier for Pakistan, shares Islamabad's fierce regional rivalry with India. So far, the plan to build two new reactors at the Chashma site in Pakistan's Punjab province has apparently gone forward.
But the US and other countries have said it does not have the necessary approval from the 46-country Nuclear Suppliers Group, which seeks to limit the spread of nuclear-related equipment.
China has said the deal would be carried out in line with "international obligations" and subject to international safeguards and supervision.
Military cooperation is also a focal point in ties between the countries, which held a third round of joint counter-terrorism drills this week in western China's Ningxia region.
Zardari, during his meeting with business leaders, thanked the CEO of China Northern Industries Corp. "for its cooperation with the defence forces of Pakistan," his statement said.
The company has supplied tanks, artillery guns, air defence systems and vehicles to Pakistani military.
Zardari also is to meet with Premier Wen Jiabao and top political adviser Jia Qinglin and tour the Shanghai World Expo.