Musharraf leaves China without any nuke plant deal

"No agreement has been signed on nuclear" plant cooperation, a Pakistan embassy spokesman said. "It was just speculation."

Before Musharraf left for China, a Pakistani Foreign Ministry official said it was possible a deal would be finalized whereby China would help Pakistan build a nuclear power plant on the banks of the Indus River.

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If it goes ahead, it will be the second nuclear power plant in Pakistan to be built with Beijing's assistance.

"I was surprised it wasn't one of the deals they signed," said a Western diplomat.

During Musharraf's visit, his first to Beijing since a sweeping leadership transition in China, seven official agreements, including an extradition treaty and a preferential trade agreement, were signed.

He also secured a $500 million loan for bilateral trade and economic cooperation, the China Daily newspaper said.

About 20 other deals -- joint ventures, letters of intent, memoranda of understanding -- were also signed between Pakistani and Chinese companies.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday the two sides had discussed the power plant and "reached a consensus," but declined to explain what that meant.

Still, Musharraf spoke highly of his trip on the third and final day during meetings with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and the head of the powerful Central Military Commission, former president Jiang Zemin.

"We had an excellent time here in China for the last three days. In fact, we feel very much at home here in China," said Musharraf.