Senior Chinese official Jia Qinglin Tuesday praised the mutual
trust and support between China and Cuba on international affairs,
and Sino-Cuban relations have entered a new era of all-round
growth.
Jia, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau
of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the
remarks when meeting in Beijing with Pedro Saez Montejo, a member
of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of Cuba.
Jia is also Chairman of the top political consultative body in
China, known as the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Congress (CPPCC).
Saez is a member in the leading body of the Communist Party of
Cuba. He also holds a prominent position in the 23-member Council
of State, the top governing group of Cuba. Fidel Castro Ruz serves
as the President of the Council of State.
Saez and his entourage arrived in Beijing Sunday for a week-long
visit to China.
Since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, Sino-Cuban
ties have grown closer still. Leaders of the two countries have
kept personal contact and exchanged regular visits. Fidel Castro
paid state visits to China in 1995 and 2003. And Chinese President
Hu Jintao visited Cuba in 2004.
Jia welcomed Saez to China, saying that with the personal
attendance of top leaders of both countries, Sino-Cuban relations
have been growing steadily since the 1990s. The two countries have
carried out fruitful and substantial cooperation in all fields, Jia
acknowledged. The frequent exchange of high-level visits has
yielded important consensus between the two sides on further
advancing mutually beneficial cooperation, Jia said.
Jia also thanked Cuba for its support to China on such issues as
Taiwan, Tibet and human rights.
Cuba, a Caribbean island state off the southern coast of the US,
is restructuring its economy and maintaining social stability
despite US sanctions.
Saez said every Cuban who visited China is deeply impressed with
its achievements in development. He said both the Communist Party
and Government of Cuba attach great importance to friendship with
China.
Thanks to the direct care and promotion by the top party and
state leaders of both nations, Saez said, bilateral relations grew
rapidly, and the people of both countries have gained substantial
benefits from bilateral cooperation in all fields and at all
levels.
Jia said the CPC attaches high priority on developing relations
with the Communist Party of Cuba. He expressed the willingness to
step up exchanges and cooperation between the two ruling parties to
lift bilateral relations to a new level.
Jia paid an official goodwill visit to Cuba in last May.
(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2006)
