Beijing: China today said the "all weather" Sino-Pak friendship will not be dented by the US move to designate Pakistan as a "major non-NATO ally".

"I do not see any impact of such a statement (by US Secretary of State Colin Powell) on the friendly relationship between China and Pakistan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in response to a question.

Powell, who is in Islamabad, said that the US will name Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally, a move that will strengthen Defence cooperation between the two countries as US plans to designate Pakistan as a "major non-NATO ally.

At the same time, Kong, taking note of Powell's visit to India, Afghanistan and Pakistan, hoped that Washington's involvement in South Asia would help stabilise the region.

"We have taken note of US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to South Asian countries. We hope that this visit will promote relations between the United States and these three countries and will help stabilise the region," he said.