Beijing, Feb 5 (IANS): Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Beijing on Wednesday.

Xi said China and Pakistan enjoy ironclad friendship and are all-weather strategic cooperative partners.

In recent years, the two countries have provided firm political support for each other, maintained close high-level exchanges, and advanced the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and cooperation in various fields, setting a good example for relations between countries, he said.

China stands ready to work with Pakistan to advance their respective modernization drives, accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and make greater contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said.

Earlier, Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, also met with the Pakistani President.

China is willing to work with Pakistan to continue the traditional friendship, implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, he said.

Noting that exchanges and cooperation between legislative bodies are an important part of bilateral relations, Zhao said the NPC is willing to work with the Pakistani parliament to strengthen exchanges at all levels, and provide a legal guarantee for China-Pakistan cooperation, Xinhua news agency reported.

Zardari said Pakistan firmly supports China's core interests and major concerns, and supports the three global initiatives put forward by China, namely the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

Pakistan is ready to promote interactions between the legislatures of the two countries and deepen Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.