Syria's official Damascus Radio on Wednesday hailed the country's President Bashar Al-Assad's current visit to China, saying it constitutes a "turning point" in bilateral relations between the two countries.

The visit will be "fruitful in all domains", the radio said in its political commentary.

It noted that China and Syria have shared identical viewpoints regarding political issues and signed several agreements to promote economic and commercial cooperations.

As a permanent member in the UN Security Council, China is establishing a required balanced situation at the political and economic levels around the world and plays a pivotal role in solving Arab issues in particular, praised the radio.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad arrived in Beijing Monday evening on a five-day official visit to China. He is the first Syrian president visits China since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1956.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and the visiting Syrian president deeply exchanged views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern and reached extensive consensus during their talks in Beijing on Tuesday.

Hu said that since the establishment of their diplomatic ties 48 years ago, China and Syria have continuously strengthened and developed their relationship on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

Source: Xinhua