Luo Gan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), arrived in Reykjavik Sunday to start a goodwill visit to Iceland.

In a written statement upon arrival at the airport, Luo said the bilateral relations between China and Iceland have developed smoothly with exchanges and cooperation being on strengthening in various fields.

"China attaches great importance to developing its relations with Iceland. The development of friendly, cooperative ties in an all-round manner between China and Iceland conforms to the fundamental interests of the people of the two countries," he said.

Luo added that he was looking forward to meeting with leaders of Iceland and will have in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations and international issues of common interest so as to improve mutual understanding, develop friendship and promote cooperation.

Iceland is the first leg of Luo's four nation tour, which will also bring him to Finland, Armenia and Moldova.
 
(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2003)