China is "a strong advocator and active participant" in the Asia-Europe
cooperation, said Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress (NPC) yesterday.
"Both Asia and Europe are now at a crucial stage for development and
deepening a new type of partnership that conforms to the common interests of the
two sides," said Wu while meeting with heads of the delegations attending the
fifth Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP).
He said China would like to further friendly relations with all nations in
Asia and Europe based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence.
He welcome the new members of ASEP including Romania, Bulgaria, India,
Pakistan and Mongolia, and pledged to work with all ASEP members to strengthen
dialogues and exchanges on the international and regional issues to facilitate
the Asia-Europe meeting process.
Wu also met with parliamentary leaders from Indonesia and Finland on Thursday
afternoon.
During a meeting with Agung Laksono, Indonesia House of Representatives
speaker, Wu said China valued relations with Indonesia and would enhance the
strategic partnership. He hoped the NPC and the Indonesian parliament would
maintain high-level contact, strengthen exchanges between the special
committees, friendly working groups and other organs.
Agung said the Indonesian parliament hoped to improve exchanges with the NPC
on country administration, democracy and rule of law.
During a meeting with Seppo Kaariainen, first deputy speaker of the Finnish
parliament, Wu said the relations between China and Finland had entered a new
stage as the cooperation on telecommunication, energy saving, environmental
protection and nano-technology furthered. He hoped the legislative organs of the
two countries would maintain cooperation to enhance the relations between the
two countries.
Kaariainen said developing the relations with China had been the consensus of
the political circles of Finland. He believed the quake-hit Sichuan province
would recover from the disaster at an early date.
The ASEP meeting started Thursday morning and will conclude today. More than
100 paliamentarians from Asia and Europe participated in the meeting.