Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, prime minister of the Independent State of Samoa, arrived in Shanghai Thursday afternoon, continuing his official visit to China as guest of Premier Wen Jiabao.

He told Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng that the rapid development of Shanghai is a symbol of China's economic success, and Samoa would like to learn from China's successful experiences in modernization.

Tuilaepa started his China tour on Sunday, which also took him to Beijing and Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

During his Beijing visit, Tuilaepa met with China's top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen. The two governments signed cooperation accords after talks between the two premiers.

Tuilaepa's visit came on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Samoa. It is Tuilaepa's second visit to China since he assumed office in 1998. He paid his first official visit to China in August 2000.

Source: Xinhua