China's National People's Congress (NPC) will strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Afghan National Assembly in a bid to promote bilateral relations, said China's top legislator Wu Bangguo on Tuesday.

 

Wu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said when meeting with visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai that parliamentary exchanges are an important part of bilateral relations.

 

Wu also spoke highly of the development of bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than 50 years ago, noting the two countries have maintained increasingly high-level exchanges on major issues concerning sovereignty and national security, reciprocal trade and economic cooperation and tight coordination in international and regional affairs.

 

The signing of the treaty on China-Afghanistan friendly cooperation will be a milestone for the development of bilateral relations and the Chinese side will work with the Afghan side to implement it, Wu said.

 

Karzai said China and Afghanistan are trustworthy friends with sincere cooperation. To further enhance bilateral relations is in the interest of the two countries and is conducive to regional peace and development.

 

He noted that Afghanistan is willing to further strengthen cooperation with China in various fields including security and trade, and hopes China can continue to participate in Afghanistan's reconstruction. The Afghan government will also support the parliamentary cooperation between the NPC and Afghan national assembly.

 

Karzai also reiterated Afghanistan's adherence to the one-China policy.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2006)