Chinese President Hu Jintao met Tuesday with Mauritius' Prime Minister Paul Raymond Berenger, who is on a seven-day visit to China.

Chinese and Mauritian peoples enjoy traditional friendship, Hu said. "This traditional friendship has been enhanced since the establishment of diplomatic relations," he said.

In recent years the leaders of the two countries have kept exchanges, mutual trust has been deepening, and the cooperation in the fields such as economy and trade has been diversified and advanced, Hu said. And the two countries have consulted and supported each other in international and regional affairs.

The Chinese president spoke highly of Mauritius' adherence to the policy of being friendly toward China and the one-China policy, and its devotion to the partnership between China and Africa as well as China and Mauritius.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to Sino-Mauritian relations, and is willing to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation and promote common development on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence," he said.

Berenger congratulated China on its achievements in social and economic development and thanked China for the long-time assistance to Mauritius.

Mauritius values the traditional friendship between the two countries, attaching great importance to the relations with China and firmly sticking to the one-China policy, he said.

The two countries enjoy great cooperative potential in tourism, aviation, textile and other fields, so Mauritius is willing to expand bilateral economic and trade cooperation in a bid to push forward their overall friendly relations, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2005)