Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang pledged on Thursday to cement pragmatic cooperation with Austria.

Zhang made the remarks while meeting with visiting Austrian Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance Josef Proll, and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Michael Spindelegger.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China-Austria diplomatic ties. Zhang called on both countries to expand fields of cooperation, deepen pragmatic cooperation and push forward achievements in bilateral relations.

Proll said his country was satisfied with the rapid growth of trade links with China in recent years.

Austria was willing to explore new cooperation fields with China, and especially to cement concrete cooperation in environmental protection, machine manufacturing and high technology, Proll said.