China, Ukraine pledge to strengthen cooperation

KIEV, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and Chen Bingde, visiting chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army of China, vowed to promote bilateral military ties during talks here on Friday.

Azarov said Chen's visit shows that the Chinese government and its armed forces take China-Ukraine relations as one of their priorities. Ukraine admires the achievements and progress in China, he said, and is pleased to see that China plays an increasingly important role in international affairs.

The prime minister said Ukraine satisfies current bilateral relations with China. Mutual visits of the two countries' leaders in recent years and the strategic partnership will push their bilateral relations to a new high.

For his part, Chen said there is a traditional friendship between the Chinese and Ukrainian peoples. Bilateral ties have maintained a healthy and smooth trend.

New achievements, widened cooperative fields and improved regimes are found in bilateral practical cooperation, Chen said. He said the two sides have strengthened collaboration that effectively upholds mutual benefits in international and regional affairs.