Senior Chinese leader Jia Qinglin on Wednesday met with two Austrian parliamentary leaders on further strengthening bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People'sPolitical Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met here separately with President of Austria's Federal Council Anna Elisabeth Haselbach and President of the National Council Andreas Khol on ways to promote cooperation and people-to-people exchanges betweenthe two countries.

During the meeting with Haselbach, Jia said that Austria is China's important trading partner in Europe and that bilateral ties have witnessed sound development over the past years.

The top-level exchanges between both countries have boosted mutual understanding, laying a solid political foundation for the further development of bilateral ties, he said.

Jia, who flew to Austria on Monday on a three-day official good-will visit, stressed that efforts must be made to expand economic and trade relations, adding that China is now actively putting into force a strategy of sustainable development.

Austria has rich experiences in environmental protection and energy technology, and China is willing to expand cooperation withAustria in these fields, Jia noted.

He also proposed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation on culture and education, and to encourage people-to-people exchanges.

Haselbach said that the practice of China's reform and openingto the outside world has demonstrated that China has chosen a correct path. China's further development will bring about more positive influence on the Asia-Pacific region and the global economic growth at large, she noted.

In his meeting with Khol, Jia said that the exchanges with other countries conducted by the National People's Congress of China and the CPPCC are an essential part of China's diplomacy, and the CPPCC is willing to increase exchanges with Austria's National Council and Federal Council, thereby making a new contribution to promoting bilateral relations so as to enhance themutual understanding between the two peoples.

Khol said that Austria attaches great importance to its ties with China, and is willing to cooperate with China in a variety offields on the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit.

Also on Wednesday, Jia attended a ceremony for signing a cooperation agreement between the All-China Federation of Industryand Commerce and Austria Federal Economic Chamber, which was aimedto further enhance trade activities between the two countries.

Jia, who arrived here from the Republic of Korea, was on the second leg of his four-nation tour, which will also take him to Spain and Portugal.

Source: Xinhua