Chinese President Jiang Zemin said he hoped that China and the United States will seize the vital opportunities to strengthen dialogue and cooperation so as to make new progress in the development of bilateral relations.

President Jiang made the remarks in Beijing Thursday morning during a meeting with a delegation from the US-China Interparliamentary Exchange of the US House of Representatives led by the exchange's Chairman Don Manzullo.

Jiang recalled the positive momentum for the growth of bilateral relations in recent years and pointed to fruitful cooperation in economy, trade, anti-terrorism and other major international issues.

Both China and the United States, he said, shouldered major responsibilities for world peace and prosperity as the international situation was undergoing profound changes.

Facts have shown that the growth of bilateral relations has benefited the people of both countries and promoted world peace and development, noted Jiang.

After briefing the delegation on China's achievements and the success of the 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party held in mid November last year, Jiang said that China's future was splendid.

President Jiang said he hoped this visit would enable members of the delegation to learn more about China as most of them were on their first visit to the country.

The delegation, invited by the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress (NPC), is the first to visit China from the newly elected Congress of the United States.

Jiang said the improvement and development of Sino-US relations enjoyed the unanimous support from the two political parties of the United States in the past years, and many US congressmen had worked to this end.

Moreover, he said, he hoped members of the delegation would pay heed to and support the development of bilateral relations and help promote the mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries.

President Jiang and the US guests also exchanged views on current international hot topics like the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Manzullo said his delegation was the biggest of its kind ever to visit China, with 13 congressmen and their spouses and assistants.

He went on to say that the purpose of this visit is to continue enhancing exchanges with the Chinese NPC and strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation so as to facilitate the development of bilateral relations, which, in Manzullo's words, conformed to the common interests of the people of the two countries.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2002)