China to help Pakistan build two more N-plants

China has agreed to build two nuclear power plants in Pakistan, and Chinese firms and banks are planning to invest to help an old ally desperate for financial support, Pakistani officials said yesterday.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said President Asif Ali Zardari intended to visit China every three months to promote economic integration between the two countries.
China’s agreement to help build two new nuclear plants for civil power generation contrasts with the US refusal to offer Pakistan a nuclear deal similar to one given to rival India.
Richard Boucher, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, arrived in Islamabad on Saturday for a series of meetings.

“Pakistan and China have signed agreement for Chasma-3 and Chasma-4 ... 680 MW of electricity will be generated from these two new plants,” Qureshi said.

China helped Pakistan build its second nuclear power plant in 1999, in the town of Chasma, in the central province of Punjab. Canada helped build Pakistan’s first nuclear power plant in 1972.

Analysts say China has supported Pakistan’s missile and nuclear weapons programme for decades, motivated by a mutual desire to counter the rising power of India.

Pakistan and India, having already fought three wars, became nuclear weapons states in 1998.

The United States has refused to offer Pakistan a nuclear deal similar to one given to rival India. More

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