Chinese President Meets Saint Lucia PM 　　Chinese President Jiang Zemin expressed his satisfaction with the sound development of the Sino- Saint Lucia relations in Beijing February 3 during his meeting with Kenny Anthony, prime minister of Saint Lucia. 　　"We are glad to see that the bilateral relations have enjoyed stable development since the two countries forged diplomatic ties more than one year ago," Jiang said. 　　He added that Sino-Saint Lucia cooperation has scored progress in the fields of politics, economy and culture. 　　Furthering the bilateral ties is in the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries, he noted. 　　The president said that the Chinese government valued its relations with Saint Lucia, and would like to join hands with the country to bring a long-term and stable friendship into the 21st century in accordance with the principle of treating and supporting each other on an equal footing, enhancing exchanges and friendship, expanding cooperation and marching toward the future hand in hand. 　　He expressed his conviction that the current visit of Anthony will promote the mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries, and laid a sound foundation for the advancement of the bilateral ties. 　　The current visit indicated that the government of Saint Lucia and Anthony himself valued the bilateral ties, Jiang said. 　　He cited the decision to set up diplomatic relations with China made by Anthony shortly after he assumed the position of prime minister in 1997 as the demonstration of Anthony's vision and far-sightedness of a statesman. 　　Jiang also described Saint Lucia as an important country in the Caribbean region, saying that it has made great efforts and scored remarkable achievements in safeguarding its independence and sovereignty, advancing its economy and increasing people's standard of living. 　　Saint Lucia has also positively pursued friendly cooperation with all countries in the world, and actively participated in the integration of the Caribbean region by playing a more significant role in the regional affairs, Jiang added. 　　"China is glad to witness the achievements Saint Lucia has made, " Jiang said. "And we sincerely hope that Saint Lucia will make more progress in various sectors." 　　Anthony said that it is a special experience for him to visit China, a country with a long history and civilization, and he has felt warmed by the hospitality the Chinese people offered him.. 　　He added that his country is very glad to cooperate with China. 　　The prime minister noted that China has maintained a rapid and sustained economic development by overcoming plenty of difficulties. China's achievements in this regard have greatly encouraged the developing countries like Saint Lucia. 　　He expressed his appreciation for China's significant role in international affairs. 　　He extended his congratulations on China's success over such issues as Hong Kong and Macao, and hoped that China would realize reunification at an early date. 　　Anthony arrived in Beijing on January 31 for a 7-day official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji. HomeNews 1999-02-04 Page1 Full Story in Chinese