Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing Tuesday that China hopes to expand economic and trade cooperation with Kuwait.

Wen made the remarks during his talks with visiting Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who arrived Monday on an eight-day official visit to China as Wen's guest.

Wen said China also hopes the two countries will further political exchanges and strengthen cooperation in international affairs in the spirit of political mutual trust and equal treatment.

Wen praised bilateral fruitful cooperation between the two countries in such fields as energy, chemical industry and labor, and the increasing bilateral trade.

He said China and Kuwait enjoy good political basis and they have understood and supported each other in the past years.

Kuwait sticks to a one-China policy and it has given China political and economic support, Wen said, the Chinese government has always supported Kuwait's just cause to safeguard independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and made its own efforts to ease the tensions in the Gulf region.

Wen cited the China-Arab states cooperation forum, set up in January this year during Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Egypt, to illustrate the Chinese government's attention to the development of its relations with Arab states.

China will make full use of the forum to work with Arab states including Kuwait to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields and push for greater development of China-Arab relations under the new circumstances, noted Wen.

Sabah said Kuwait-China relations, based on mutual understandings and support, have enjoyed a sound development momentum and broad prospects.

He said the two countries boast very good political relations, satisfactory economic and trade ties and good cooperation of mutual benefit in many fields such as oil and port construction.

He said the Kuwaiti side hopes to establish a partnership with China to strengthen bilateral cooperation in politics, economy and international affairs on the whole.

He reiterated Kuwait's support for China's stance on Taiwan issue.

Kuwait, current presidency of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), will make its own efforts to push forward China-Arab relations, said Sabah.

After the talks, Wen and Sabah attended a signing ceremony for an agreement on bilateral economic and technological cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2004)