BEIJING - Indias hopes of obtaining Chinese backing for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council came up against a rock with the Chinese Foreign Ministry saying Wednesday that it was seriously considering Pakistans case for the coveted place. China attaches great importance to Pakistans request for a seat on the UN Security Council, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. She said Beijing is in favour of Pakistan playing a bigger role in maintaining international peace and security. China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners, Jiang noted at a news briefing. The UN General Assembly is set to meet on Friday to elect five non-permanent members of the Security Council. Those elected will serve from January 1, 2012 to December 2013. The new elected members will replace Lebanon, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon and Nigeria, whose terms end on December 31. Pakistan faces a challenge from Kyrgyzstan, which is contesting the election for the first time. Beijing welcomed Indias election as a non-permanent member of UNSC last year but it has not revealed its mind about supporting New Delhis case for a permanent member. China is the only one of the five permanent members of UNSC that has not announced its decision to support India. New Delhi has been hoping to bring it around but the latest statement giving credence to Pakistans case may prove to be a serious hurdle. APP adds: Welcoming Chinas announcement, Ambassador Masood Khan said Pakistan is grateful to China for its public support and endorsement of Pakistans candidacy for the non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council. This is a rare and precious gesture. We value and cherish it. This shows the depth of our relationship and mutual trust between the two countries, he said, adding: We thank China for its good wishes towards Pakistan. Upon election, we look forward to working towards regional and international peace and security in collaboration with China.