LUSAKA, Nov. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- China's top legislator Wu Bangguo reaffirmed the country's commitment to further boosting its traditional friendship with African nations in an important speech,entitled "Enhancing Mutual Trust and Promoting Common Development" and delivered Friday at the Zambian National Assembly.

    This is the first time a foreign leader is invited to address the Zambian National Assembly which attracted more than 300 personages of all walks of life including Zambian Vice President Lupando Mwape, Speaker of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa, all the parliament members, cabinet ministers, celebrities, businessmen and diplomats.

    Wu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, reviewed the history of China-Zambia relations, which have entered a new period of all-dimensional, stable and mature cooperation, saying that the seed of friendship sowed by the older generation of Chinese and Zambian leaders 40 years ago have grow into a big tree laden with fruits, thanks to efforts by successive leaders and people of both countries.

    Wu is on a four-nation African tour accompanied by Vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Raidi that has taken him toKenya and Zimbabwe before arriving here Thursday.

    He said that building long-term stable, sincerely friendly, equally beneficial and overall cooperative Sino-Zambian relations serves the fundamental interests of the two sides and is conduciveto their common development, the reinforcement of South-South cooperation and the promotion of world peace and development.

    He briefed the audience on China's latest development in economic and social sectors, saying that China will persistently promote the reform and opening-up process, with economic building as the center, and pay more attention to the structure, quality and results of economic growth and to harmonized and sustainable development in economic and social sectors, which is guided by the scientific concept of development.

    Wu also elaborated the current international situation and China's foreign policy, pointing out that with maintaining world peace and promoting common development as the purpose of its foreign policy, China, along with other peoples, stands ready to push forward the lofty missions of safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

    He noted that as China is the largest developing country in theworld and Africa has more developing nations than any other continent, both sides have maintained, over the past few years, increasing visits at high-level and frequent personnel exchanges to have achieved a rapid development in economic ties and trade and other sectors and constantly strengthened consultation and coordination in international affairs.

    "In particular, the launch and growth of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation have set up a new platform and mechanism for our collective dialogue and practical cooperation, thus ushering in a new era of China-Africa cooperation," he added.

    Wu pointed out that given the new situation of world multi-polarization and economic globalization, to further China-Africa friendly relations and cooperation serves the fundamental interests of the two sides and is conducive to their common development, the reinforcement of South-South cooperation and the promotion of world peace and development.

    "We will follow the three-point initiative made by Chinese President Hu Jintao last February, namely, 'to build on the traditional friendship and push for new progress in China-Africa relations; to persist in mutual assistance and mutual benefit and promote common prosperity of China and Africa; and to cooperate even more closely in an effort to safeguard the rights and interests of the developing countries,' and work with African countries to constantly upgrade China-Africa relations," he said.

    To this end, Wu wished to make a five-point proposal, namely, to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges to consolidate the political basis for China-Africa friendship, to expand mutually beneficial economic cooperation and trade to actively explore new avenues and approaches of economic cooperation and trade for mutual benefit, to strengthen friendly exchanges betweenthe two parliament to make greater contribution to the all-round development of state-to-state relations, to deepen exchanges in the cultural field to instill fresh vitality into the development of the China-Africa relationship, and to have closer consultation and coordination in international affairs to jointly safeguard therights and interests of the developing countries.

    Wu said China's new central collective leadership attaches great importance to the friendly and cooperative relations with African countries.

    "The Chinese people will not forget their old friends and Chinawill forever stand on the side of its friends in Africa. Let's work together to build on our past achievements and carry it forward into the future. Let's constantly push forward China-Africa friendship, jointly forged by our older generation of leadership in China and in Africa, and make fresh and greater contribution to the common development and prosperity of China and Africa!"

    Appreciating Wu's delivery, Speaker Mwanamwambwa said that sucha brilliant, lively and significant speech transmitted an important message that the traditional friendly relations between Africa and China as well as between Zambia and China will certainly get a further deepened and broadened development. Enditem