China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), will formally start the regular exchange mechanism with parliaments of Russia, Japan and Germany in the first half of this year, top legislator Wu Bangguo said in Beijing Wednesday.

Wu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, told parliament that the NPC's relationship with members of the European Union, east European nations and the European Parliament is being strengthened.

The NPC also kept exchanges with parliaments of neighboring nations and enhanced cooperation with developing countries, he said in a work report of the NPC Standing Committee at the legislature's annual session.

Last year, the NPC received 60 parliamentary delegations from 42 countries across the world and NPC delegations visited 23 countries.

The NPC and the Senate of the United States started the formal regular exchange mechanism last year after similar mechanisms were established between the NPC and the House of Representatives of the United States, and parliaments of France and Italy.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2005)