Top Chinese legislator meets US House speaker

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-09 23:50

WASHINGTON: Visiting top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo met US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday to exchange views on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

Speaking to reporters before their talks, Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, said he was pleased to visit the United States at the invitation of Speaker Pelosi, noting that the visit was the first by a top Chinese legislator over the past 20 years.

"The purpose of my visit is intended to promote further growth of China-US relations," Wu said, describing the relationship as one of the most important, dynamic and promising bilateral ties in the world.

He expressed the belief that his US trip will inject new impetus to the growth of China-US relations.

Pelosi, for her part, recalled her visit to China in May. "When I was in China, I had the opportunity to see so much China has done to address global climate change. It's an important issue of our visit."

"Clearly we can learn a great deal from what China has done. Hopefully, we can learn from each other," she said.

On the occasion of Chairman Wu's visit, she said, both sides will discuss climate change as well as other issues, such as the global economic crisis.

Pelosi said it is important for China and the United States to come to some kind of understanding on the subject of climate change.

"Our countries are great, significant and large, their decisions would affect the whole world," the speaker said. "The US-China relationship is very important one, economically, politically, culturally and environmentally, to both our countries and to the world," she added.

Apart from Pelosi, Wu is also expected to meet US President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during his stay in Washington.

Wu is here on a week-long official goodwill visit to the United States, the final leg of his three-nation America tour which also took him to Cuba and the Bahamas.