Chinese Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan said Beijing on Monday that the Chinese government attaches great importance to cooperative economy and hoped China's supply and marketing cooperative organizations could enhance international cooperation to boost rural economy.

Zeng made the remark in a meeting with Ivano Barberini, president of the International Cooperation Alliance (ICA) and the ICA board members, who are here attending an ICA board meeting in Beijing.

Zeng said since the founding of new China, cooperative economy has played an important role in developing China's rural economy.

He expressed his hope that China's supply and marketing cooperative agencies will further exchanges with the ICA and borrow international experiences to promote international trade onagricultural and handicraft products so as to play a better role in boosting the development of agriculture, rural area and improving the lives of rural residents.

Barberini expressed his appreciation with achievements that China had made in cooperative economy and thanked the Chinese government for its efforts in hosting the ICA board meeting.

Source: Xinhua