"The meeting was warm and cordial," the office said in a statement.

It said Hu "reiterated China's view of the UN as an irreplaceable organisation and voiced China's full support for it." He also shared with Annan Beijing's vision of China's drive to modernize.

"The secretary general particularly praised China for its cooperation, help and assistance for African countries," the statement said.

During the talk, visiting Chinese Vice-president Hu Jintao said that the tasks for the UN had become tougher under the changing international situation of growing complexity. Therefore, he said the role for the UN should be strengthened rather than weakened and its authority should be upheld rather than harmed.

Hu emphasized that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, would continue to take an enthusiastic part in UN affairs and support the work of the secretary-general.

At the meeting, Annan briefed the Chinese vice-president on the latest developments in the Middle East situation and those related to the Iraq issue. Annan said they shared the view that the international community should continue to urge Israelis and Palestinians to end as early as possible the vicious cycle of tit- for-tat violence.

They also agreed that a political settlement provides the only possible way to the solution of the Middle East problem.

On the issue of arms inspection in Iraq, Hu Jintao spoke highly of the efforts made by the UN to seek a solution of the issue. He said that most countries expressed the hope for a political settlement of the Iraq problem, as they did not want to see a prospect that the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region would become more complicated and turbulent because of this problem.

Annan highly praised the great achievements made in China's modernization drive and extended his thanks to China for the importance it attaches to the development of friendship and cooperation of mutual benefit with other developing nations including African countries as well as its firm support to the work of the United Nations.

On Monday afternoon, Hu also met with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and exchanged views with him on Sino-US ties.

On Monday evening, the Chinese vice-president made a speech at a dinner hosted in his honor by New York business community. In his speech, Hu said economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States embraced a bright future and cooperation between Chinese and American enterprises would surely produce a win-win result that is mutually beneficial.

He emphasized that the economic and trade ties and the political relations between China and the United States should complement and promote each other. China and the United States should strengthen dialogue and cooperation, enhance mutual understanding and trust, properly handle contradictions and differences between them and create a favorable political environment for their economic cooperation and trade, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2002)