A closer China-Europe relationship will benefit both sides and the whole world, said visiting top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo on Thursday when delivering a keynote speech at the Oslo Conference Center.

Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, is paying an official good-will visit to Norway. He said peace and development have been challenged by unilateralism, terrorism, regional conflicts and wars, cross-border crimes and widening gap between the developed and developing countries.

The whole world should work together to face these challenges and difficulties, he said, noting that China will stick to its independent foreign policy, which takes world peace and common development as its goal.

He said China opposes the use of force or the threatened use of force, advocates the democratization of international relations, equal consultation among all parties and extensive participation in the management of issues.

The top legislator said countries of different cultures or pursuing different modes of development should respect each other, coexist in harmony and seek common ground while reserving differences.

The whole world should, said Wu, strengthen cooperation in eradicating poverty and protecting the environment for a better future.

Europe, an important force in securing world peace and development, has no fundamental conflict of interests with China, Wu said, noting China treats and develops the relations with Europe from a strategic perspective.

China and Europe share common interests, and have identical or similar views on and cooperate closely in major issues concerning world peace and development, he said.

Wu said the China-Europe relationship is in a most dynamic and fruitful period, featuring wider mutual understanding, rapid development of business cooperation and remarkable progress in wide-ranging exchanges.

History has proved and will continue to prove that developing relations between China and Europe conforms to the interests of both sides and benefits both regional and world peace and prosperity, he said.

Wu expressed China's willingness to further boost exchanges and cooperation with Europe on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Norway is the last leg of Wu's four-nation European tour, which has also taken him to Russia, Bulgaria and Denmark. He is scheduled to leave Oslo for China on Friday. 

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2004)