Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo on Friday said that China hopes to expand cooperation with Ukraine to a wider scope covering investment, economic and technological areas.

Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress(NPC), made the remarks in a meeting with Ukraine's Parliament Speaker Oleksander Moroz in Beijing.

Noting that great potential lies in the economic cooperation between China and Ukraine, Wu said the parliaments of the two countries should, in particular, serve as the go-between to facilitate the cooperation between strong enterprises of the two countries.

Wu said China's NPC is willing to work together with Ukraine's Supreme Council (name for the country's parliament) to strengthen multi-level exchanges, conduct communication on legislation, enhance pragmatic economic and trade collaboration and deepen mutual political trust so as to bring the whole Sino-Ukrainian relations to a new high.

Wu also expressed his appreciation for Ukraine's adherence to one-China policy.

Moroz said the Supreme Council of Ukraine is an active supporter and propellent for moving ahead the friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries.

The close exchanges between the parliaments of the two countries are indispensable to the general development of Sino-Ukrainian relations, Moroz stressed, adding that "If we compare the overall bilateral relations of the two countries to a tree, the inter-parliamentary relationship is a branch of the tree".

At the invitation of Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top advisory body, Moroz is making his first China visit from March 28 to 31.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2007)