Visiting Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo pledged in Antananarivo to increase exchanges and cooperation with the Madagascar parliament.

Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, made the remarks during his respective meeting with President of Madagascar's Senate Yvan Randriasandratriniony and talks with President of National Assembly of Madagascar Jacques Sylla. The two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, parliamentary cooperation and other issues of common concern and reached important consensus.

In his talks with Sylla, Wu hailed the existing sound exchanges and cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two nations.

The NPC is ready to work with the Madagascar parliament to maintain the momentum of high-level visits, and increase exchanges in special committees, friendship groups and other working organs, Wu said.

Parliament represents the will of the people and the exchange and cooperation between the parliaments will help boost political mutual trust and cooperation in the various fields, Wu said, noting that the purpose of his visit is promote the development of the relations between the two parliaments as well as the two nations.

The NPC highly values the ties with the Madagascar parliament, Wu told Sylla, suggesting the two sides to expand the friendly exchange among the various parliamentary special committees and friendly groups.

Sylla spoke highly of the relationship between the two parliaments, noting that Wu's visit, first by a Chinese top legislator since the establishment of the diplomatic relations, marked a new phase of development of the inter-parliamentary cooperation.

In his meeting with Randriasandratriniony, Wu highlighted the China-Madagascar relationship, noting that the two nations had enjoyed healthy and stable development of bilateral ties since forging diplomatic relations 36 years ago.

China and Madagascar, in recent years, enjoyed frequent high level visits, increasing political mutual trust, fruitful cooperation in the various fields, Wu said, noting the facts and history already proved that the friendship between the two nations serves to the common interests of the both sides.

The NPC is willing to develop ties with the Madagascar Senate at various levels, Wu said, calling on the two sides to make concerted efforts and create new vigor to step up the bilateral relations.

Randriasandratriniony expressed his pride of being a friend of China, saying that the fast growth of China's economy also created favorable conditions for Madagascar to develop the ties between the two nations.

He also proposed that the two to work together to expand cooperation in fields such as trade, investment, public health and tourism.

(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2008)