China vowed Thursday to do what it could to help cash-strapped Pakistan avert financial disaster as Islamabad's leader continued an official visit aimed at rustling up crucial Chinese investments. The promise came ahead of a meeting in Beijing between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari, who is on his first official visit abroad after being elected in September. "As a long friend of Pakistan, China understands it is facing some financial difficulties," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters. "We're ready to support and help Pakistan within our capability."Zardari met his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Wednesday in a meeting in which the two sides pledged to strengthen decades-old ties and signed 11 bilateral agreements, one on unspecified economic co-operation. The Financial Times newspaper has reported, without citing sources, that Zardari would seek a soft loan of between 500 million and 1.5 billion dollars from China to help Pakistan avoid looming bankruptcy. However, Qin offered no specifics on the form that Beijing's financial help would take. But Qin declined to give any details on the agreements made so far. "I'm not aware of the specifics of the deals signed," he said. China's foreign ministry had earlier confirmed the nuclear issue would be discussed but gave no specifics. The global financial crisis has pushed Pakistan closer to the brink and reports, denied by Islamabad, have said the country faced bankruptcy as soon as February.