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 | Wednesday, April 12, 2000, updated at 10:02(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
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NPC Chairman Meets Panamanian VisitorsLi Peng, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said April 11 that China sincerely wants to normalize its relationship with Panama, and hopes that China's Panama friends will do their part to make this happen as soon as possible.Li made the remarks in his meeting this afternoon with Marco Ameglio, visiting chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Legislative Assembly of Panama. Consisting of chairmen of several committees under the Legislative Assembly, the delegation is the largest of its kind to come to China, and its presence here demonstrates that a good relationship exists between both countries and both parliaments, Li said. Panama is an important country in Latin America with vital strategic importance and its canal is of unique significance, Li said, adding that China has long supported Panama's fight to retrieve the ownership of the canal, and is delighted over its smooth return to Panama last year. China believes that the Panama people can run the canal well and thus made contribution to the prosperity of world's sea shipping industry, he said. Though far apart, China and Panama have struggled for national independence and fought for sovereign and territorial integrity. Both are currently faced with the task of rebuilding their countries and developing their economies, Li said. Li stressed that China attaches importance to its ties with Panama and insists that it is in the fundamental interests of both countries to develop goodwill and cooperation on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. Li noted in particular that the increasing exchange between both parliaments has contributed significantly to the development of their relationship. Li welcomed the statement by Panama's government, after President Moscoso resumed his post, that it won't support Taiwan's entry into any international organizations, including the United Nations. He also noted the resolution passed by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Panama Legislative Assembly last year congratulating China on its 50th founding anniversary, "to which we express our appreciation and gratitude." Ameglio said that this visit is meant to push bilateral relations forward. It is a commonly recognized policy in Panama that Panama, with a population of three million, and China, with 1.2 billion people, should develop their relations, he said.
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