China has won new friends in Pakistan with its pledge to build two nuclear power plants in the energy-starved nation just weeks after rival India signed an atomic deal with the United States.
The nuclear agreement comes amid strains in Pakistan's anti-terror alliance with Washington over rising militant violence that threatens to destabilize Afghanistan.
It was among a dozen economic cooperation accords signed during President Asif Ali Zardari's recent visit to Beijing, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Saturday.
While Qureshi gave few details, enhanced cooperation with China will likely help offset Pakistan's resentment of a recent deal allowing US businesses to sell nuclear fuel, technology and reactors to neighboring archrival India.
