Gu Xiulian, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met in Beijing Tuesday with the Albanian assembly delegation.

The delegation, led by Servet Pellumbi, speaker of the Albanian People's Assembly, was on their six-day official goodwill visit to China started from Monday at the invitation of Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Chinese NPC Standing Committee.

During the meeting with Pellumbi on Monday, Wu said China is ready to expand relations with Albania in various areas, and the NPC is willing to increase friendly contact with the Albanian People's Assembly at different levels, so as to contribute to the growth of relations between the two countries.

Parliamentary relations between China and Albania have been active. Top legislators of the two countries have visited each other frequently over the past years.

The delegation will also travel to the port city of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning province and Shanghai metropolis in east China before wrapping up the China tour.

(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2004)