The top legislatures of China and Chile on Monday held a
political dialogue in Beijing, a step to develop stronger
parliamentary links.
The dialogue was the second of its kind since the National
People's Congress (NPC) of China and the National Congress of Chile
(NCC) forged the regular exchange mechanism last year.
Chile was the first Latin American country to set up the regular
parliamentary exchange program with China.
The first political dialogue was held in Santiago last September
when top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo visited Chile.
Lu Congmin, deputy director of the NPC Foreign Affairs
Committee, and Sergio Romero, a NCC senator, co-chaired the
half-day meeting.
Hailing the smooth development of China-Chile ties, they agreed
to promote bilateral ties from a strategic, long-term
perspective.
They vowed to use the political dialogue committee as a platform
to enhance exchanges between the two parliaments.
They will share information and experience on law making and
supervision.
Their discussions also touched on removing obstacles in
bilateral trade, with a focus on boosting trade ties among small
and medium sized enterprises.
They pledged to develop closer links between provinces of the
two countries.
They agreed to step up consultations and support each other
under multilateral mechanisms, including the International
Parliament Association and the Congress of Latin America.
The seven-person Chilean delegation arrived in Beijing on
Saturday. Their weeklong visit will also take them to dynamic
southern province Guangdong.
(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2007)
