President Jiang Zemin Friday believes that the strategic relationship of cooperation between China and Egypt will continue to grow healthily and steadily and bear even more fruits.
He made this comment during his meeting with Ibrahim Nafie, chairman and chief editor of the Alahram Newspaper, and Mahfouz El-Ansari, chairman and editor-in-chief of the Middle East News Agency (MENA) of Egypt.
He was also interviewed by correspondents from the Alahram Newspaper and MENA on such issues as Sino-Egyptian relations, Sino-Arab relations, the anti-terrorism struggle and the Middle East.
On Sino-Egyptian relations, Jiang said the coming visit of Egyptian President Muhammed Hosni Mubarak will be a major milestone for Sino-Egyptian relations.
He said both China and Egypt have ancient civilizations and share a long history of friendship. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, several generations of leaders from both countries have promoted friendship and sound cooperation between the two nations. They understand and support each other in various fields, including maintaining world peace and stability, opposing power politics and developing their national economies.
Jiang said further strengthening the friendly cooperative relations between China and Egypt is an established policy of the Chinese government.
On the relationship between China and the Arab countries, Jiang said they share a traditional friendship and have for a long time given each other support and sympathy. Developing relations with the Arab countries is a fixed policy of China. China places great importance on the role and influence the Arab countries have in both regional and international affairs.
He said that since the September 11 incident, the international situation has become increasingly complicated and there are more uncertainties. He said China and the Arab countries are facing many new difficulties and challenges.
Jiang said both sides need to increase exchanges, enhance understanding and strengthen coordination and cooperation so as to jointly maintain regional and world peace, stability and development.
Jiang believes that with efforts from both sides, the relations between China and the Arab countries will achieve comprehensive and extensive growth in the new century.
Present at the meeting were Ding Guangen, member of the Political Bureau and member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee; President of the People's Daily Xu Zhongtian; President of Xinhua News Agency Tian Congming; and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Guangya, among others.
(People's Daily January 19, 2002)
