Chinese Vice President Starts Visit to CyprusChinese Vice President Hu Jintao arrived in Cyprus Monday to start his two-day official visit to this Mediterranean island country, during which he will hold in- depth talks with Cypriot leaders on a wide range of issues.In a written statement distributed at the airport, Hu expressed satisfaction with the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Cyprus in political, economic, cultural and other fields since the establishment of diplomatic relations nearly 30 years ago. He said the Chinese government attaches great importance to developing relations with Cyprus and is ready to work together with the Cypriot side to elevate the existing relations to a higher level in the new century for the benefit of the two peoples. The Chinese vice president said that the purpose of his visit is to further enhance mutual understanding, deepen friendship and develop cooperation. "I have full confidence in a complete success of this visit and in its contribution to further growth of the friendship and cooperation between China and Cyprus," he said. Hu's visit comes at the invitation of Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides. He is to hold talks with Clerides and other senior officials on bilateral and regional issues and preside over the signing of agreements on investment protection and telecommunications cooperation. Cyprus is the fourth leg of Hu's five-nation tour, which has taken him to Iran, Syria and Jordan. After Cyprus, he will travel on to Uganda. |
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