China and the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed on Wednesday to strengthen bonds between parliaments and ruling parties.

The agreement was reached in a meeting between China's top legislator Wu Bangguo and Evariste Boshab, speaker of the DR Congo's National Assembly and secretary general of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), the country's ruling party.

Wu praised the progress of bilateral ties, citing vibrant exchanges between governments, parliaments and political parties, trade, military and education cooperation and close coordination in regional and international affairs.

Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, expressed appreciation for the support the DR Congo offered on major issues concerning China's core interests.

He vowed to continue support for the African nation's efforts to maintain national security and social stability.

The DR Congo was an important cooperative partner of China in Africa, and the Chinese government and the ruling party were ready to strengthen bilateral exchanges and explore new ways to step up cooperation, Wu said.

Boshab told Wu the DR Congo's government and ruling party had made a strategic decision to develop relations with China. His country appreciated China's domestic and foreign policies and expected to learn more from the country.

He called for closer bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, infrastructure construction, energy and resources.

The two also expressed hope that the Chinese NPC and the DR Congo National Assembly would strengthen dialogue among specialist committees while maintaining high-level exchanges.

Boshab is visiting China from July 13 to 19 at the invitation of the Communist Party of China.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2009)