Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo met respectively with Pier
Ferdinando Casini, president of the Council of Inter-Parliamentary
Union (IPU) and Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services
Committee who heads an eight-member congressmen delegation from the
United States.
In his meeting with Casini, Wu, chairman of the Standing
Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), expressed
his appreciation for the unique role played by the IPU to help
address various international issues, noting that China is grateful
to the union for its support on the Taiwan, Tibet and human rights
issues.
The top legislator also called on the IPU to continue to improve
its efficiency and work closer with the parliaments of various
countries.
This will help push forward the development of relations among
nations and promote the democratization process in international
relations, Wu added.
As an important IPU member, the NPC will continue to boost ties
with the organization and make efforts to score progress on
multilateral parliamentary cooperation, Wu stressed.
Casini spoke positively on the contribution that the NPC made to
promote the IPC reform and development, stressing that the
organization values the ties with the NPC and expects a larger role
that the NPC could play on various IPU issues.
When meeting with Skelton, Wu hailed the progress on the
relations between China and the United States, noting the two,
sharing increasingly comprehensive common interests, worked
together effectively on some significant regional and international
issues.
Both as very important nations of the world, China and the
United States should properly handle bilateral relations from
strategic and long-term perspectives, which are not only in line
with the fundamental interests of the two nations, but conducive to
peace and development of the world, Wu said.
Skelton said inter-parliamentary exchanges and dialogue have
strengthened mutual understanding and trust.
The delegation, on a five-day visit to China, already visited a
monument dedicated to the famed "Hump Route" flying squadron in
Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province.
(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2007)
