Pakistani PM says China Mobile's investment to serve as a landmark in economic ties

ISLAMABAD, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani said on Saturday that China Mobile's investment in Pakistan cellular phone sector would serve as a landmark in bilateral ties.

Gillani made the remarks while meeting with Wang Jianzhou, chairman and CEO of China Mobile Communication Corporation, the largest mobile phone operator in China.

China Mobile is also the biggest cellular phone company in the world with over 380 million subscribers. It made its first foreign investment in Pakistan in 2007 by acquisition of Pakistan's fifth largest mobile operator Paktel.

The entry of China Mobile into the Pakistani market will add to further enhancement of economic ties between the two countries, Gillani said.

Since the acquisition of Paktel, China Mobile had invested 860 million U.S. dollars in Pakistan, said Wang, adding that his company will invest another 800 million U.S. dollars by the end of this year.