Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday met with Belarussian acting Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko to discuss further promoting bilateral relations.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao meets with Belarussian acting Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko in Minsk, the capital of Belarussia, on November 5, 2007.

Since China and Belarus established diplomatic ties 15 years ago, mutual trust has been increasingly strengthened, as the two countries always respected each other's own paths of development as well as each other's domestic and foreign policy, Wen said.

The two countries have continuously expanded cooperation by signing a series of bilateral economic cooperation agreements and legal documents, Wen added.

Friendly relations between the two countries have also been deepened as China and Belarus have launched various friendly exchanges in fields of humanism, the Chinese premier said.

He said China-Belarus relations are based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and other norms governing international relations, in accordance with each other's fundamental interests, stressing that it is a long-lasting and firm relationship.

Wen said leaders of the two countries signed a joint communique when Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko visited China in 2005, which showed that China-Belarus relations had entered a new stage of all-round development and strategic cooperation.

China has attached great importance to its relations with Belarus and is willing to work with it to further promote the development of economic and trade relations between the two countries, the Chinese Premier said.

Currently, the two countries should give priority to increasing mutual investment and expanding cooperation in the fields of telecom, light industry and fundamental infrastructure.

Wen said China appreciates the valuable support given by Belarus on the Taiwan issue by constantly upholding the "one-China policy."

During the talks, Semashko said bilateral ties between the two countries are built on solid foundations and the two countries have maintained exchange and cooperation regarding bilateral ties and international issues.

He said Belarus affords great importance to its relations with China and hopes to deepen bilateral cooperation, expand mutual investment and upgrade the economic and trade ties between the two countries.

Wen arrived Sunday for an official visit at the invitation of Lukashenko. He's visit also coincides with the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

This is the third leg of Wen's four-nation visit, which will also take him to Russia.

Wen has already visited Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and attended the sixth Meeting of Prime Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Uzbek capital Tashkent.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2007)