European Commission President Romano Prodi said Monday night that the relations between the European Union (EU) and China are better than ever before.  

Prodi made the comment when meeting with Zhang Lichang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and secretary of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee, who is in Brussels on a tour to Europe.

Prodi, who himself is an economic counselor of Tianjin Municipality, said he was pleased to see the remarkable achievements China has made, adding that China's prosperity is vital to the development and stability of the world at large.

The EU will continue to expand cooperation with China and join hands with China to contribute to the world peace and development, Prodi said.

Zhang conveyed the greetings of Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao to Prodi, and said that China attaches great importance to its friendly ties with the EU.

Recent years have witnessed good momentum in the development of the China-EU relations, said the senior CPC leader, who noted that China hopes to strengthen its friendly cooperation with the EU and continuously push forward the China-EU strategic partnership in an all-around manner.

Zhang also briefed Prodi on China's political and economic situation, particularly that in Tianjin.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2004)