CPPCC Chairman Meets Portuguese Supreme Court President

CPPCC Chairman Meets Portuguese Supreme Court President

Li Ruihuan, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met Monday with Jaime Octavio Cardona Ferreira, president of Portugal's Supreme Court.

Li said Sino-Portuguese relations have been good since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979. He said areas of cooperation have expanded in recent years and Sino-Portuguese relations have entered a new phase of development since the smooth settlement of the Macao issue.

He said China has scored remarkable achievements since the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy some 20 years ago and progress has also been made in the area of the legal system.

Li said China is implementing the strategy of running the country according to law and building a socialist country. China is fully prepared to learn from other countries' experience in related areas.

Ferreira said it is important for the two countries to learn from and respect each other, and China, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs.

He said the successful settlement of the Macao issue provided new momentum for the growth of bilateral relations, adding that Portugal's Supreme Court is willing to promote exchanges with its Chinese counterpart.

Xiao Yang, president of Supreme People's Court, met with Ferreira this evening and the two sides exchanged views on cooperation between the two countries' judicial departments.