In a meeting with Ukraine's Parliament Speaker Oleksander Moroz on Thursday, Chinese President Hu Jintao announced that China welcomed pragmatic cooperation with Ukraine to take bilateral relations to new highs.

Hu acclaimed Ukraine as a faithful friend and reliable partner of China's, and said that the county would work with Ukraine to boost cooperation in international and regional affairs, said Hu.

China has the utmost respect for Ukraine's chosen development path and for the policies and stands Ukraine has undertaken, Hu stated.

Hu further extended his appreciation for Ukraine's adherence to one-China policy and praised the Ukraine Parliament for its consistent contribution to improving bilateral relations.?

Moroz, whose first China visit began on Wednesday, said Ukraine views its relations with China as crucial and stands ready to deepen collaboration across many areas including trade, culture, high-technology, energy and transportation.

Moroz also stated that Ukraine will draw careful lessons from China's recent economic growth model.

Also on Thursday, Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top advisory body, met with Moroz. During their meeting, Jia announced further exchanges between the CPPCC and Ukraine's parliament.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2007)