China wishes to be good neighbor, friend, partner of Mongolia: vice president

Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong (R) meets with Mongolian President Nachagyn Bagabandy at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing July 6, 2004.

Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong said Tuesday that China hopes to be a peaceful neighbor, trustworthy friend and development partner of Mongolia.

Zeng made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Mongolian President Nachagyn Bagabandy.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the amendment of a treaty on friendly cooperation between China and Mongolia as well as the 55th forging anniversary of Sino-Mongolian diplomatic ties.

Zeng said the good-neighborly ties between the two countries have withstood the test of time.

"Politically, the two countries have established a good-neighborly and mutually trustworthy partnership," Zeng said. "Our economic and trade cooperation keeps deepening and we have maintained good coordination in international and regional affairs."

The current visit is President Bagabandy's third China trip. Before coming to Beijing, he visited southern China's Hainan island province and the Macao Special Administrative Region, where he attended a signing ceremony of an agreement on visa exemption.

Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with Bagabandy on Monday. They agreed to focus on resources exploration and infrastructure cooperation in the economic cooperation of the two countries.

The two countries also signed two documents Monday on trade and banking cooperation as well as an agreement on offering economic aid to Mongolia.

Economic cooperation is one of the main purposes of Bagabandy's China trip. Mongolian minister in charge of finance and economy, president of the Mongolian bank, and other senior trade officials are among his 72-member entourage.

Chinese customs figures show that trade volume between China and Mongolia hit 440 million US dollars in 2003, up 21 percent from 2002.

Zeng Qinghong told Bagabandy that China observes a foreign policy of treating neighbors as friends and partners.

"Mongolia is an important neighbor of China and the two countries are highly complementary in economic fields," Zeng noted.

"There is great potential for cooperation. China attaches great importance to its relations with Mongolia and hopes to become a peaceful neighbor, a mutually trustworthy friend and a partner for common development of Mongolia."

Bagabandy said the long border between the two countries has now become the "ties of friendship and cooperation" as China has become the largest trading partner and investor of Mongolia.

The Mongolian president said his country hopes that top level exchange of visits between the two neighbors will increase, and more cooperation will take place in areas of economy, trade, education and culture.

The president also invited Chinese businessmen to invest in Mongolia and work jointly "for the benefit of people of both countries."