Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrived in Chisinau Thursday afternoon to begin his state visit to Moldova, the third leg of his five-nation European tour.
Jiang was greeted by Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin at the airport. At a grand welcome ceremony, Jiang was offered a bouquet, bread and salt and a small cup of red wine as the highest level of courtesy to foreign leaders. The two presidents also inspected the guards of honor.
Jiang said in a written statement upon arrival that the aim of his current visit to Moldova is to enhance friendship and expand cooperation.
During his stay in Moldova, the Chinese president is expected to exchange views with Voronin and some other leaders of the country on the development of bilateral relations and other issues of mutual concern.
"I firmly believe that the visit will help expand the common ground and mutual understanding between our two countries, and bring the bilateral friendly cooperation to a higher level in the new century," Jiang said.
Moldova is the third leg of Jiang's five-nation tour, which will also take him to Ukraine and Malta. He has visited Russia and Belarus.
(Xinhua News Agency 07/19/2001)
