Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Beijing Wednesday with a Romanian youth delegation headed by Victor Ponta, member of the Romanian cabinet and vice chairman of the Social Democratic Party.  

The delegation was in Beijing to attend a Chinese-Romanian youth festival to mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

China and Romania share sound relations and the youth festival will serve to push forward the long-term and sound development of Sino-Romanian friendship, Hu said.

It is the common aspiration and in the basic interest of the two peoples to further Sino-Romanian friendship and enhance cooperation, Hu said.

The youth in China and Romania shoulder the historic mission of nation building, inheriting and developing the friendly cooperation ties between the two countries, Hu noted.

The Chinese president said he hopes the youth would enhance exchanges, learn from and help each other, make progress hand-in-hand and offer positive contribution to the development of the two countries, the nations and the society and to the building of comprehensive friendly cooperation ties between China and Romania.

Ponta said Romania has traditional friendly cooperation with China and is China's best friend in Europe. The Romanian youth are willing to enhance exchanges with their Chinese counterparts to strengthen understanding and friendship in a bid to offer their due contribution to the friendly cooperation ties between Romania and China.

The Romanian youth know more about China via the youth festival, Ponta said. China's economic achievements impressed the delegates deeply and Romania can learn from China's experiences.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2004)