Jiang made the remark when meeting with Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, king of Nepal, who is on a seven-day state visit to China. It is also the 10th visit by the king himself.

Jiang said the 10 visits by the king fully demonstrate the importance the Nepalese side attaches to its relations with China. The king's current visit will be another milestone in the relations between the two countries, he added.

Jiang visited Nepal in 1996. The president and Birendra at that time agreed that the basic policy for bilateral relations is to establish a "good-neighborly partnership for generations."

Jiang said consolidating and developing good-neighborly relations with Nepal continuously is a set policy of China. China has always advocated that all countries, regardless of their size and power, are members of the international community, and therefore should be respected and treated equally.

The king thanked China for its long-term support and assistance. He stressed that Nepal has no disputes with China, and the cooperation and exchanges between the two countries is going smoothly.

Birendra said Nepal hopes to strengthen its relations with China, especially in the economic and trade areas. In particular, he said, Nepal hopes to conduct more economic cooperation with China's Tibet Autonomous Region, which borders Nepal.

Birendra began his China visit Monday in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, where he attended the founding ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Tuesday at Boao, a small town some 160 kilometers south of Haikou. He and Jiang also met there.

(People's Daily 03/02/2001)