Li Ruihuan Ends Successful Four-nation Trip of America

Li Ruihuan, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), concluded his four-nation trip of America with "complete success," CPPCC secretary-general Zheng Wantong said Monday.

The official goodwill visit, from May 8 to 21, was the first ever by a CPPCC National Committee chairman to Canada, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago and Peru, said Zheng, who accompanied Li during the trip.

"As one of the most important visits made by top Chinese leaders so far this year, the trip attained its goal of improving mutual understanding, enhancing friendship, expanding common ground and promoting cooperation. The trip ended with complete success," Zheng told reporters.

Zheng said that the four governments had paid great attention to Li Ruihuan's visit.

During the visit, Li held talks with leaders of the four countries on bilateral ties and other issues of common interest, including ways to promote exchange and cooperation on trade, culture, science and technology.

On China's reform and economic growth, Li told leaders of the host countries that all achievements made in the past 20-odd years are attributable to the principle of emancipating minds and respecting realities.

Leaders of the four countries highly praised the success of China's economic reform, according to Zheng.

During his trip, Li elaborated on many important occasions China's peaceful foreign policies. He pointed out that the Chinese people cherish and long for peace because they have suffered a lot in the last 100 years during which many wars broke out. China needs peace for its development and wants to establish and develop friendly cooperative ties with all countries in the world on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence.

During talks with leaders of the four countries, Li said China advocates that all countries, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, are equal members of the international community despite their differences in the social system, cultural traditions or values. They should respect each other, treat each other equally, and get on well with each other, and seek common ground on major issues while reserving differences on minor ones.

The CPPCC chairman also pointed out that China attaches great importance to maintaining wide contacts with people of other countries, their leaders in particular. "We stick to seeking common ground and reserve differences and strengthening our common understanding during our contacts. We maintain that we should seek mutual benefit and cooperation, learn from each other to make up for deficiencies, and advance side by side. We hope we will have more friends, the more the better," Zheng quoted Li as saying.

Through Li's elaboration, the leaders of the four countries have further understood China's peaceful foreign policies, Zheng said. They all expressed on separate occasions that they are willing to develop friendly cooperative relations with China.

During his visits to the four countries, Li also introduced China's system of cooperation among the multiple parties under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the status, functions and role of the CPPCC, according to Zheng.



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