Xi, Czech president pledge to expand cooperation

SOCHI, Russia - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Czech counterpart, Milos Zeman, met in Sochi Friday and agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation and promote China-Europe ties.

The two leaders are in this Russian resort city for the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games, which is due to take place Friday evening.

Xi hailed the profound traditional friendship between China and the Czech Republic, saying the steady development of bilateral ties is an aspiration shared by both peoples.

Noting that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations and that the Central European country  has recently installed a new government, Xi urged the two countries to seize the opportunity to lift their ties to higher levels.

The two sides, he proposed, should reach fresh agreements on the guiding principles for and direction of the development of bilateral ties, and boost cooperation in such fields as manufacturing, infrastructure, new energy, agriculture, health care and investment.

Meanwhile, Xi reiterated China's stance on supporting European integration, stressing that his country attaches great importance to the status and role of Europe and remains confident in the continent's future.

Describing the Czech Republic as an important country in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Xi said Beijing values Prague's unique role inside the European Union and appreciates its efforts in promoting cooperation between China and CEE countries.

China, he added, stands ready to work with the Czech Republic to further promote the development of China-Europe ties and China-CEE cooperation.

Zeman, for his part, spoke highly of China's development and the huge potential in bilateral ties, saying his country adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to develop bilateral relations in an all-around way.

The Czech Republic, he added, is ready to make concerted efforts with China to increase political and people-to-people exchanges and expand cooperation in trade and investment so as to deepen bilateral friendship and realize mutual benefits.

Prague is also willing to make further contributions to the development of CEE-China ties and the broader Europe-China relations, said the Czech president.