Pakistani President Becomes First Foreign Leader to Visit Chinese Weapons Factory

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari visited China’s largest manufacturer of military aircraft on Sunday, becoming the first foreign state leader to do so. He toured the assembly line of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the maker of the J-10C fighter jet.

The J-10C played a key role in Pakistan’s success during May’s short military conflict with India. That fact, and the uniqueness of the visit to the factory in Chengdu, can be seen as a signal of closer cooperation between the two countries’ defense industries.

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