Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh expressed his hope on Saturday that Yemen and China will further strengthen their exchange and cooperation in various areas.

 

The firmly-founded Yemeni-Chinese relations have forged ahead steadily for years and the cooperation between the two countries in various fields has produced remarkable results, said Saleh while meeting with Zhang Li, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese Liberation Army (PLA).

 

Saleh recalled that he held fruitful talks with President Hu Jintao on strengthening the Yemeni-Chinese ties when he visited China in April.

 

Saleh stressed that Yemen sticks to its one-China stance, and hopes to see China's peaceful reunification at an early date.

 

For his part, Zhang stated that since the establishment of their diplomatic relations, China and Yemen have witnessed a sustained growth of their relationship and cooperation.

 

The two countries have supported and helped each other in international affairs, he said, adding that China is willing to further enhance the military exchange and cooperation with Yemen.

 

Zhang and his entourage arrived in Sana on Thursday for a four-day visit.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2006)