Sunday, March 20 2005 10:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beijing: Pakistan has appointed senior career diplomat Salman Bashir as its new Ambassador to China to further pursue the "all-weather" bilateral ties.

Bashir, who arrived in Beijing on Friday (Mar 18, 2005), is expected to present his credentials to Chinese President Hu Jintao shortly, sources said.

Bashir replaces Riaz Mohammad Khan who left Beijing last month after being appointed as Pakistan's Foreign Secretary.

Bashir's appointment comes ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's scheduled visit to Pakistan in early April. Wen is also expected to visit India and at least two others countries in South Asia.

Prior to his Beijing posting, Bashir had been serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. He held various diplomatic assignments at Pakistani missions in Geneva, Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) Secretariat, Jeddah, and Denmark.