President Hu meets with EU leaders
(newsphoto)
Updated: 2005-09-05 14:13

President Hu meets with EU leaders

Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Beijing Monday with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, President of the European Union (EU) Commission Manuel Barroso, and EU Council Secretary-General Javier Solana, who are in Beijing to attend the eighth China-EU summit.

Hu said he had "very good talks" with Blair and Barroso not long ago in Gleneagles, Scotland, and Beijing, respectively. He is very glad to meet them again in Beijing.

China-EU leaders keeping frequent exchanges is conducive to enhancing mutual understanding, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation and boosting the development of China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, he said.

Blair, whose country now holds the EU rotating presidency, said the EU-China comprehensive strategic partnership is "very important," not only in bilateral trade and economic cooperation, but also in their cooperation in important political issues of the world.

Hu said China-EU ties are getting more mature after 30 years' development. The two sides kept frequent high-level dialogues and consultation, and the bilateral trade volume has seen continuous substantive increases.

Meanwhile, China and the EU has made new progress in their cooperation on some important projects, and kept close contacts and coordination on major international and regional issues, he added.

"We appreciate EU's adherence to the one-China policy and its efforts in facilitating bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation," Hu said.

He said China and the EU are "two important forces" on the present international stage.

Under the new circumstances of global multilateralism and economic globalization, the deepening of China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership is of profound importance to maintaining world peace, promoting common development and realizing mutual benefits, he said.