"A wide range of foreign political parties has become familiar with the peace loving, innovative and friendly nature of the Communist Party of China through contacts and exchanges with the Party," said Dai Bingguo, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Dai said that despite the complicated international situation, strengthening friendly contacts, defending world peace, promoting common development and pushing forward human progress continue to be key desires of various countries, peoples and political parties of different types.

He said the Party's 16th National Congress, scheduled to start tomorrow, will be an important event of far-reaching influence.

The International Department of the CPC Central Committee is steadily and actively pushing forward and deepening friendly exchanges and co-operation with the political parties of a variety of countries.

It will continue to strengthen its investigation and study of international issues, particularly practical issues of major significance to the Party's innovations. It will introduce the Party's policy propositions and major achievements, to ensure that people in other countries learn and understand more about China and the CPC, so that the Party's external work will be able to play a greater diplomatic role, and assist in the reform and opening up of the country.

Dai's department, a key Party liaison organ, establishes and maintains relations with both the political parties and statesmen of foreign countries.

According to Dai, since the 15th Party Congress in 1997, the CPC has received 800-plus delegations from foreign political parties, and has sent about 400 delegations abroad. By the end of 2001, the CPC had established ties with 418 parties and organizations in 147 countries and regions, he said.

"I deeply feel that our Party's international influence has been expanding at an unprecedented rate," Dai said.

Many foreign political parties have come to realize that behind the rapid development and constant progress in China, there is the staunch and robust Communist Party of China, Dai said.

They all long to know and understand the CPC and its place in China's development over the past 80 years and the "secret" of its successful rule for more than half a century to aid them in their own construction and development.

They attach special importance to finding out what the Chinese Communists are thinking and doing, and how they are planning and directing the nation's future. In their contacts and exchanges with the CPC, they show very strong interest in everything.

Referring to high-level inter-party exchanges, Dai said that in recent years more than 40 CPC delegations led by General Secretary Jiang Zemin or other CPC leaders have visited dozens of countries around the world, including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Viet Nam.

Through inter-party exchanges, the CPC has improved ties with countries that had no diplomatic relations with China, Dai said. During the past five years, almost 50 delegations from such countries had been invited to China.

The CPC's inter-party diplomacy has also boosted international economic and trade co-operation. The CPC provides economic information to relevant departments to promote co-operative programmes, and welcomes foreign delegations to help develop China's vast western areas, he said.

(China Daily November 7, 2002)