Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Arab League Secretary General Amr Mahmoud Moussa in Cairo Friday to boost ties and push for more cooperation.  

President Hu, who arrived here Thursday on a four-day state visit, visited the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo and met with delegates from its 22 member states.

President Hu said that consolidating and developing friendly cooperation with Arab states is the working guideline of the Chinese government.

President Hu also proposed to develop a new type of partnership between China and Arab states through promoting political relations based on mutual respect, forging closer trade and economic links to achieve common development, expanding cultural exchanges to draw upon each other's experience, and strengthening cooperation in international affairs to safeguard world peace and promote common development.

Moussa concurred with President Hu's suggestion, saying that it would be an important guideline for the development of Sino-Arab ties.

President Hu viewed the foundation of the China-Arab states cooperation forum as an important measure to boost ties between two sides in a new international environment. Hu said it would enrich China's relationship with Arab states as well as consolidate and develop cooperation on different levels and in different areas.

President Hu said the Chinese people are willing, alongside the Arab people, to build the forum into a new platform for collective dialogue and cooperation between China and Arab countries.

Moussa also highly praised the announcement by China and Arab League to set up a forum Friday and said he was looking forward to his forthcoming visit to China and signing an agreement on the activities of the forum.

President Hu concluded that no matter how the international situation changes, Chinese people are always sincere friends with the Arab people.

Moussa thanked the Chinese people for their continuous support of the just cause of the Arab people. He said China has set up a model for developing countries in achieving economic growth, and China's active role in international affairs has won admiration and support of all developing nations.

(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2004)