NPC Chairman Meets Saudi Arabian GuestChairman Li Peng of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress met Thursday morning with Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz, second deputy prime minister and minister of defense and aviation of Saudi Arabia.Li said both China and Saudi Arabia are developing countries and share many common interests and identical views on many important world issues. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, bilateral ties have undergone continuous reinforcement and development through joint efforts from both sides, Li said, adding that President Jiang Zemin's visit to Saudi Arabia and Prince Abdullah's visit to China have elevated bilateral ties to a new high. China attaches great importance to relations with Saudi Arabia and is willing to jointly develop cooperation in all fields, Li said, expressing the conviction that Sultan's current visit would undoubtedly push forward the ties. Sultan said he was pleased to be visiting China, and he has brought along the friendly feelings of both the King and the Prince towards all the Chinese people. He believed that friendship between the two countries enjoys a solid foundation, expressing the hope bilateral cooperation would be further reinforced. Sultan is paying an official visit to China at the invitation of Defense Minister Chi Haotian, who is also state councilor and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission. |
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