China silent Pak rquest for more N-plants

ISLAMABAD: China has maintained a silence on Pakistan's persistent requests to make more nuclear plants for it but agreed to develop the South Asian country into an energy corridor for oil supplies to the Communist nation.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, who met on Friday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, agreed to work together to develop Pakistan as an energy corridor through the strategic Gwadar seaport in southwest Balochistan, state-run APP news agency reported on Saturday.

Besides reaffirming their resolve to strengthen the existing partnership in its all dimensions, particularly in the economic sector, both leaders agreed to coordinate their stated positions on regional and international issues at the UN and other levels.

The Chinese President offered to enhance his country's support for undertaking reconstruction work in the areas that were hit by the devastating earthquake in Pakistan last year.

The two, however, were silent on Pakistan's request to build more Chinese nuclear power plants. Pakistan wants China to build bigger nuclear power plants but Beijing has expressed its inability as it could only build plants to generate 350 MW.