The top legislatures of China and Chile on Monday held a political dialogue in Beijing, a step to develop stronger parliamentary links.

 

The dialogue was the second of its kind since the National People's Congress (NPC) of China and the National Congress of Chile (NCC) forged the regular exchange mechanism last year.

 

Chile was the first Latin American country to set up the regular parliamentary exchange program with China.

 

The first political dialogue was held in Santiago last September when top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo visited Chile.

 

Lu Congmin, deputy director of the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergio Romero, a NCC senator, co-chaired the half-day meeting.

 

Hailing the smooth development of China-Chile ties, they agreed to promote bilateral ties from a strategic, long-term perspective.

 

They vowed to use the political dialogue committee as a platform to enhance exchanges between the two parliaments.

 

They will share information and experience on law making and supervision.

 

Their discussions also touched on removing obstacles in bilateral trade, with a focus on boosting trade ties among small and medium sized enterprises.

 

They pledged to develop closer links between provinces of the two countries.

 

They agreed to step up consultations and support each other under multilateral mechanisms, including the International Parliament Association and the Congress of Latin America.

 

The seven-person Chilean delegation arrived in Beijing on Saturday. Their weeklong visit will also take them to dynamic southern province Guangdong.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2007)