Richard Holbrooke, US envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, left China after holding talks with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and leading cabinet official Dai Bingguo during a two-day trip.

"We came here to share views on the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan because we share a common danger, a common challenge and a common goal," Holbrooke said in a statement before leaving Beijing.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the two sides had agreed to work together on the problem.

"The two sides said they would make efforts to enhance dialogue and cooperation and promote peace, stability and development in South Asia," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.

Holbrooke will next attend a donors' conference in Tokyo, where the United States is expected to pledge increased aid to Pakistan.

US President Barack Obama, vowing a new focus on rooting out extremism from Pakistan, has already thrown his support behind a bill in Congress to triple non-military assistance to Pakistan to 1.5 billion dollars a year.

Cooperation with China, which has close ties with Pakistan and borders Afghanistan, has also been seen as important to the new US plan to root out extremism in the region.

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

Bishkek (AFP) March 5, 2009
Kyrgyzstan is ready to talk to the United States about keeping open an airbase used to support operations in Afghanistan, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was quoted on Thursday as saying.