Pakistan has promised visiting Chinese officials it will strike hard against any enemies of China who seek to use Pakistan as a base for attacks.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik made the promise Tuesday to China's public security minister, Meng Jianzhu.

Meng's visit comes as Pakistan's relations with the United States – its largest aid donor – have hit a new low. Pakistani officials are furious over U.S. charges that their intelligence service is helping militants to attack American targets in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has hinted it could turn to China for support in the event of a break with the United States, and Meng appeared to encourage that idea with a promise $1.25 million in new financial support for Pakistan.

He said the money was intended to help Pakistan in the fight against extremists.

China charged earlier this year that Uighur militants who led two days of deadly attacks in July had received training in Pakistan.

More than 20 people were killed in the attacks in the city of Hotan in western Xinjiang province, including 14 attackers who were shot by police. A group calling itself the Turkestan Islamic Party released a video this month claiming responsibility for the attacks.

Xinjiang has been plagued by ethnic violence between majority Han Chinese and the minority Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighurs. Exile groups say the Uighurs have been economically and culturally repressed in their homeland by a growing influx of Han Chinese.