China Attaches Importance to Top Legislators' Millennium MeetingChina attaches great importance to the upcoming millennium meeting of the parliamentary leaders, which will provide an important opportunity for strengthening cooperation among the parliaments of countries around the world, Li Peng, the top Chinese legislator, said Tuesday.Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC), made the remarks during his meeting with Anders Johnsson, secretary general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The millennium meeting of the parliamentary leaders, officially known as the Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments, is to start on Wednesday, is a milestone event for the IPU, Li said. As a vice-chairman of the meeting, Li promised that he would collaborate actively with the chairman and other vice-chairmen to contribute to the success of the conference. Diversified as the world is, Li said he expected parliamentary leaders from countries around the world to express their diversified opinions on world affairs at the conference. In this regard, he said China hoped that all the problems and differences in opinions would be settled through dialogue. The millennium meeting would indeed serve as a platform for parliamentary leaders to exchange opinions and to strengthen their cooperation. Johnsson agreed with Li and said that the conference would be an unprecedented meeting of great historical importance. It signifies a greater involvement of peoples of all countries around the globe in the world affairs and provides a base for cooperation among national parliaments and that between the IPU and the United Nations, he added. He also stressed that he fully agreed with Li Peng on the point that consensus on issues facing the world should be reached through dialogue. The foundation of the IPU as an international organization is nothing but dialogue, he noted, adding that it is only through dialogue can the purpose of safeguarding world peace be attained. |
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