Chinese President Hu Jintao said Wednesday that China is ready to strengthen consultation and coordination with the European Union (EU) on important international and regional issues.

Hu said China is willing to expand mutually beneficial cooperation between China and EU, adding that the two sides should join hands to contribute to world peace, stability and development.

President Hu Jintao made the remarks during his meeting with visiting European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon.

Hu said thanks to joint efforts of the two sides, the Sino-EU relationship has grown rapidly. The two sides made an important decision to set up a strategic partnership last year, setting clear direction for the development of Sino-EU relations in the new century.

Hu said the China-EU policy document forum held in Beijing earlier this year put forward a series of detailed targets and plans of strengthening cooperation between the two sides.

China and EU are both important forces to safeguard world peace and stability and to promote common development, Hu said.

He said China supports the enlargement and integration of the EU and hopes it will play a bigger role in international affairs.

Prodi said EU-China relations have never been so good, noting that the two sides have conducted sound and fruitful cooperation in political, cultural and scientific areas.

He said the EU places importance on China's important position and role in the international community and wishes to develop closer strategic relations with China.

China to play role commensurating its national power

Prodi said that the European Union(EU) hopes China to role as a big country matching its current national power and international influence.

When addressing the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Prodi said to maintain peace and stability is of common interests to both China and Europe. China has played an "increasingly active role in international organizations and multilateral activities, notably in the United Nations and the six-party talks aimed at defusing the dangerous crisis on the Korean Peninsula".

"The EU and China share a deep commitment to multilateralism, and we hope to intensify our dialogue in this area, " said Prodi. The two sides increasingly exchange views and frequently co-ordinate positions on international issues and global challenges, such as terrorism, non-proliferation and regional conflicts. By raising the level of cooperation, the two sides also strengthened contacts at all levels, which showed "how intimate and constructive our relationship has become."

Prodi stressed a clear consensus reached by him and the Chinese leaders that EU-China relations have never been in better shape. "This is only the beginning. Developing a comprehensive, robust and enduring relationship with China is one of the EU's top foreign policy priorities for the 21st century."

CASS president Chen Kuiyuan, who is also vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said China and Europe as the two birthplace of human civilizations, have a long history of contact. They have left deep marks in each other's social and historical progress, and together made great contribution to the world.

China and EU, facing the great changes of today's world, should shoulder the responsibility to jointly maintain the world's peace and development for a bright future of all human beings, said Chen.

Source: Xinhua