Mexico would continue to maintain the friendly relations with China and be ready to work with Beijing to expand the cooperation in various sectors, Mexican President Vicente Fox said on Wednesday.

 

Fox made the comments while meeting visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing in Mexico city.

 

Fox said Mexico and China were not competitors but important partners.

 

Both of the economies were in good shape and had developed rapidly. To strengthen bilateral cooperation would help the two countries achieve common development and better deal with various challenges, he added.

 

The president believed the second meeting of the China-Mexico Permanent Bi-national Commission on Thursday and Friday would further improve the existing good relations between the two nations.

 

Li said Sino-Mexican relations had developed rapidly since the establishment of the bilateral strategic partnership in 2003 and the setup of the permanent commission in 2004.

 

China was ready to formulate and implement a joint action plan with Mexico and boost bilateral cooperation in a sustained and healthy way, Li said.

 

Li arrived here Wednesday night to attend the second meeting of the China-Mexico Permanent Bi-national Commission.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2006)