KARACHI, Pakistan - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said Monday that the year 2011, which marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between Pakistan and China, will witness the friendship of the two countries taken to new heights.

Speaking to a Chinese youth delegation in Karachi, Zardari said Pakistan-China friendship, from year to year, has grown from strength to strength and it has withstood the test of time and endured changes at the regional and global level.

Welcoming the 100 members of the delegation on their visit to Pakistan, he said Pakistan and China share a friendship that is rooted in history.

"We attach the greatest importance to our relations with China. During less than three years I have visited China six times," he said.

The president said the recent visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Pakistan was a landmark in the history of two-way relations, adding that the friendship has been further strengthened by strong people-to-people contacts.

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"What other countries have achieved over the course of centuries, China has achieved in just 30 years. Today's China is a living example of the wisdom and vision of its leadership, and the hard work and spirit of its people," Zardari said.

He said developing countries in the region and beyond have much to learn from China's experience and Pakistan and China together can greatly contribute to the economic development of the region.

The president called upon the youth of Pakistan and China to come forward and play a leading role in promoting friendship between the two countries. He underlined the need for frequent exchanges among the youth of the two countries as such exchanges would help create understanding and further strengthen bonds between them.

The Chinese youth delegation, the third of its kind, arrived in Islamabad on January 7 for a one-week visit to Pakistan. Four Pakistani youth delegations have visited China during last four years and Pakistan is planning to send the fifth youth delegation by the mid of this year.

"We also need to increase exchanges between our universities and academia. We are actively working on increasing the number of Pakistani students in China to 20,000," Zardari said.

The scholarships offered by the Chinese government have helped Pakistani students study in China, and Pakistan Study Centers have been established at major Chinese institutions of learning, said the president.

A Pakistani Culture and Communication Center has also been set up in a Chinese university and these centers are promoting greater interaction among students and scholars of the two countries, he said.