National leaders met Friday with party leaders attending the ongoing Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Beijing.

Sino-Thai ties and profound people-to-people relations have developed smoothly thanks to their similar geological situation and cultural background, said Chinese President Hu Jintao when meeting with Thai Prime Minister and President of the Thai Rak Thai Party Thaksin Shinawatra.

Hu expressed gratitude for the Thai government's acceptance of China's complete marketing position as well its stance on the Taiwan question and issues of human rights.

The year 2005 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Thaksin told Chinese journalists after meeting with Hu, adding that he had invited Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to pay an official visit to Thailand, and Thailand would dispatch youth delegations to China next year.

"I sincerely hope that the new generations in Thailand will inherit and promote the close relations between the two nations," he said.

When answering an inquiry about the building of a canal at the Kra Isthmus, the Thai Prime Minister said it was not economically feasible to build the canal.

Instead, Thailand is considering build a highway, railroad and oil pipelines between the Thai Bay and the Andaman Sea over land to connect the Indian Ocean with the Pacific, he said. But all these ideas are being reviewed.

China attaches great importance to friendly China-Philippines relationships and is satisfied with the development momentum of bilateral ties, said Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of Chinese People's Congress when meeting with Jose De Venecia, speaker of the Philippines' House of Representatives and chairman of the Philippine Lakas-National Union of the Christian Muslim Democrats.

Leaders of the two nations have established mutual trust and could find solutions to problems between the two sides, Wu said.

De Venecia said that he was glad to see progress on bilateral economic cooperation and reiterated that the Phillipine Government accepts the one China policy on Taiwan.

In another development, Vice Chairman Zeng Qinghong met with Fuwa Tetsuzo, president of the Japanese Communist Party.

Zeng told the Japanese guest that Sino-Japanese relations are facing excellent opportunities to develop.

Politicians in both countries should bear historical responsibilities to work together for further development of bilateral relations, Zeng said.

Speaking highly of the Communist Party of China for holding the conference which surpasses differences of ideologies and systems between the parties, Fuwa Tetsuzo said such an event would push forward peace, stability and development in Asia and the world.

He said Japan and China should work hard to accelerate overall bilateral ties to develop healthily.

(China Daily September 4, 2004)