At the invitation of Seychellois President James Alix Michel and Speaker of the country's National Assembly Patrick Herminie, Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo arrived in Victoria on Wednesday afternoon to begin an official visit to the country on the final leg of his five-nation African tour.

In a written statement released at the airport upon his arrival, Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, highlighted the rapid development of the China-Seychelles relations in the past 32 years since the two nations forged the diplomatic relations, noting that the bilateral cooperation between the two nations have brought concrete benefit to the two peoples.

"I expect to meet with President Michel and Speaker Herminie to exchange views on issues of common concern," Wu said in the statement, calling on the two sides to develop "new ways and new approches" to expand cooperation so as to boost the ties between the two nations to a higher level.

Wu arrived here after he concluded his official visit to Madagascar. In addition to Madagascar, his Africa tour had already taken him to Algeria, Gabon and Ethiopia.

(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2008)