"The president expressed the hope that his visit would serve to further enhance the existing excellent cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries," Associated Press of Pakistan said.

Xiong, deputy chief of general staff of the People's Liberation Army, "welcomed the interaction with his counterparts in the Pakistan Armed Forces and said that it would be mutually beneficial for both of them," it said.

Islamabad and Beijing are old allies, with Pakistani leaders referring to China as the country's "most reliable and trusted friend."

As well as providing vital military equipment and infrastructure development, China serves as a counterweight to the regional influence of Pakistan's arch-rival India and Russia.

Beijing did not condemn the coup which brought General Musharraf to power in October in 1999 and the United States suspects Beijing of providing Pakistan with nuclear and missile technology.

In related news, Pakistan expressed hope Thursday a regional meeting of information ministers, due to be attended by arch-rival India, would promote peace in conflict-riven South Asia.

Information ministers from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) started to arrive Thursday in the Pakistani capital for their second conference aimed at improving information sharing among the seven member-states.

"As a result of this conference, I hope any tension we have within the countries will be removed," Pakistan's new Information Minister Nisar Menom said, quoted by state media.

"When their leaders meet, they may have any acrimony between any two members of the SAARC, and, I think, this is the time to relook at and rethink about our priorities," said Menom, a former country head of IBM who was appointed Tuesday by President Pervez Musharraf.

India's Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj is due to attend the meeting, making him the first Indian government minister to visit Pakistan since a December 13 attack on the parliament in New Delhi sent tensions spiralling between the two countries.

The nuclear-armed rivals have massed around 800,000 troops on their common border since the attack, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

Menom said it was "a good omen for SAARC" that all seven member states -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka -- are participating.

Nepalese Information Minister Joya Prakash Prasad Gupta, who arrived Wednesday, said he was optimistic the meet would promote understanding.

"We have some problems within the countries, every country is facing a lot of problems and we hope these kinds of meetings will help promote understanding," Gupta said.

In Nepal the army is fighting a six-year Maoist insurgency which has claimed the lives of more than 2,600 people.

Bhutanese Deputy Information Minister Dasho Leki Dorji said information technology could help develop the region.

"Information communication technology can be used to great advantage of the region, we harness this for the development of our people," he said.

The first SAARC information ministers' meet was held in Dhaka in 1998.

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