Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan in Maputo on Saturday after he attended Chissano's inauguration as the special envoy of Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

Chissano thanked President Jiang for sending the special envoy to attend his inauguration, adding this shows the traditional friendship between the two countries.

He hailed Macao's return to China last December and hoped for the realization of the complete reunification of China.

Noting the good relationship and cooperation between Mozambique and China, he said it is his wish that such cooperation will be expanded to all the SADC member states.

Tang congratulated Chissano on his re-election of the president on behalf of Jiang.

He said Mozambique, under the leadership of Chissano, has worked hard for national reconciliation and economic growth as well as for healing war wounds.

It has set a good example for African countries in resolving civil conflicts by political means and gradually advancing toward peace and stability.

Tang gave a definite affirmation of the positive development of the situation in Africa, stressing that despite of regional war and armed conflicts on the African continent, its main trend is developing towards the direction of seeking peace and stability, with a growing momentum of the development in unity, self-relianceand regional cooperation.

He said that Mozambique, which holds the presidency of both the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation, has been playing an important role in regional affairs.

China is willing to strengthen its exchanges with the regional blocs through Mozambique and make efforts to expand unity and cooperation with African countries and other developing countriesin the rest of the world, he said.

Tang reaffirmed China's principled stand of supporting the African countries to seek political solution to the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other regional conflicts by relying on their own efforts.

He said that China has always stood for the settlement of conflicts through consultations and dialogue and for therealization of domestic peace and stability through national reconciliation.

China, as one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, will continue to play an active role in promoting peace and development in Africa, he added.

Chissano agreed with Tang's views on the peaceful settlement of conflicts in Africa, saying that the international community should closely follow the situation in the DRC and try its best torestore peace and stability as soon as possible in the central African country and the Great Lakes region as a whole.

Tang arrived in Maputo on Saturday morning for an official visit to Mozambique. (Xinhua)