China's Top Legislator Meets with Namibian President ����Li Peng, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, in a meeting with Namibia's President Sam Nujoma in Beijing Friday afternoon, said that China and Namibia have a traditional friendship and their cooperation in different areas has been reinforced since the establishment of diplomatic ties nine years ago. ����China and Namibia also have many common interests and have always sympathized with and supported each other in international affairs, Li said, adding that China treasures its relations with Namibia and hopes to push bilateral friendly and cooperative ties forward. ����The NPC and Namibian parliament have a good relationship, which has increased mutual understanding between the people of the two developing countries, Li said, and the NPC is ready to increase exchanges and cooperation with the Namibian parliament. ����Nujoma discussed the situation in Namibia, saying that it suffered greatly during the racial segregation imposed by colonialism and struggled for independence and national liberation for more than a century. ����Namibia is now building a democratic system in accordance with its own characteristics, he said, adding that the system is not a copy of a Western style but is intended to let Namibians enjoy equal rights. ����Nujoma went on to say that Namibia is striving for national development but the country's economic foundation is still weak because it is a young state. China's support is precious and Namibia is ready to increase cooperation with China, he said. ����Li said that the experiences of both Namibia and China have shown that economic development is a nation's top priority after it gains independence, and a stable political situation is the prerequisite of economic and social progress. ����He said that China is happy to see that Namibia has made some remarkable achievements in increasing economic growth and improving people's livelihood under Nujoma's leadership in recent years. ����Namibia has always upheld justice and taken a clear stance in major international issues, Li said, and China appreciates the fact that Namibia has actively maintained widely recognized international norms and rights of developing countries, and is playing a greater role in regional affairs. ����China hopes to strengthen cooperation with Namibia in international affairs, Li said. WorldNews 1999-07-03 Page1 Full Story in Chinese