A reception was held here on Friday afternoon to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Yemen diplomatic relations.

Tomur Dawamat, president of the China-Arab Friendship Association (CAFA), said at the reception that China and Yemen have a long history of friendly ties and bilateral relations, which developed smoothly and have stood the test of changes on the international scene.

He said non-governmental contacts between the two countries are getting more and more active, adding the friendship associations of both countries have conducted a broad range of exchanges and cooperation and made contributions to mutual understanding and friendship.

Abdal-Malik Al-Mualimi, minister of communications and information technology of Yemen, said Yemen and China have a firm friendship and the two countries have made great achievements in political, economic and cultural relations.

He said he believed the visit by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to China, which ended Friday, will greatly promote the development of bilateral relations.

The reception was held by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. About 200 participants attended the reception.

Source: Xinhua