China and Brazil should make concerted efforts to boost the all-around and in-depth development of their strategic partnership, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said on Monday.

Sino-Brazilian relations have made great headway in recent years thanks to the joint efforts from both sides, Yang, who arrived?in Brasilia on?Sunday for a three-day visit, said at a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The two countries have kept close high-level contacts, set successive records in bilateral trade, and made progress in their cooperation in various fields, he said.

China and Brazil have also communicated and coordinated with each other in international affairs, Yang said, adding that the contents of their strategic partnership have been continuously enriched.

The Chinese top diplomat said that under the current international situation, which is undergoing profound and complicated changes, the two nations should regard and handle their relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, maintain exchanges of high-level visits, deepen mutual political trust, and strengthen mutually-beneficial cooperation in economy, trade, investment, finance, science, technology and culture.

They should also further enhance coordination and cooperation in international affairs and jointly cope with the global financial crisis, so as to make contributions to developing their partnership of all-around cooperation, safeguarding the common interests of developing countries, and promoting peace and development in the world, Yang said.

For his part, Lula said Brazil and China have maintained a sound momentum in developing bilateral ties in recent years and made progress in their cooperation in various fields.

The two countries have shared similar views on and cooperated with each other in a number of important international and regional issues, he said.

Brazil is willing to work with China to further exchange high-level visits and broaden their cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, science, technology and investment, Lula said.

The Brazilian president said his country would also strengthen coordination and cooperation with China in international and regional affairs, jointly cope with the global financial crisis, further deepen their strategic partnership, and advance relations between Latin American nations and China and the cooperation among developing countries.

Yang will leave Brazil Tuesday morning for Portugal, the last stop of his six-nation tour that has already taken him to Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi and South Africa.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2009)