Special Report: China's top legislator Wu Bangguo visits South America

Antonio Leal Labrin (R), president of Chile's Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress, awards a medal to Wu Bangguo (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, after their meeting in Valparaiso, central Chile, Sept. 6, 2006. Wu arrived in Valparaiso on Tuesday for a three-day official visit to Chile, the last leg of his three-nation South American tour. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    VALPARAISO, Chile, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Chilean top legislators on Wednesday spoke highly of the Sino-Chilean relations and vowed to work together to push forward the all-round cooperative partnership between the two countries.

    Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), said that as developing countries, China and Chile have similar past, face the same task, share broad common interests and hold same or similar views on many key international and regional issues.

    To develop the Sino-Chilean relations is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples, which is also conducive to the development of ties between China and Latin America and to regional and world peace and prosperity, Wu said during meeting with Antonio Leal Labrin, president of Chile's Chamber of Deputies.

    Wu also said China attaches great importance to its relationship with Chile and is willing to work together with Chile to promote pragmatic cooperation in various fields to push the all-round China-Chile partnership of cooperation to a new high.

    On parliamentary exchanges, Wu said the NPC of China attaches importance to ties with Chile's Chamber of Deputies and is willing to enhance friendly exchanges at various levels and launch cooperation in various fields, so as to further strengthen mutual political trust and promote pragmatic cooperation in economy and trade, culture and other fields.

    Wu, who arrived in Santiago on Tuesday for a visit to Chile, also expressed the hope that the two legislative bodies would achieve substantial exchanges, deepen mutual understanding and enhance mutual political trust through the political dialogue mechanism established in February between the two countries' legislative bodies.

    For his part, Leal said the "same or similar" views held by China and Chile on the world development have turned the two countries into important partners, and the legislatures of the two countries have played an important role in promoting bilateral relations.

    He also said although lawmakers of the Chamber of Deputies come from different regions of Chile and from different political parties, they unanimously favor developing relations with China.

    The establishment of the political dialogue mechanism has fully manifested the wishes of the two sides to develop the all-round and friendly Chile-China ties.

    Before meeting with Leal, Wu held talks with Senate President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle.

    Chile is the last leg of Wu's three-nation South America tour, which has taken him to Brazil and Uruguay. Enditem