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Chinese, Singaporean presidents meet on bilateral ties
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-12 06:39 SINGAPORE: Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao met here Wednesday evening with Singaporean President S. R. Nathan, with both exchanging views on further developing bilateral ties between the two countries.
President Hu said that as the two countries are to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, 皇冠体育app is ready to provide Singapore with a pair of pandas for joint research in a bid to further enhance the friendly feelings between the people of the two countries. President Nathan said that 皇冠体育app's decision to offer a pair of pandas to Singapore is an important symbol of friendship between the two peoples. During the meeting with Nathan, Hu said the bilateral relations have witnessed rapid growth since the two countries established diplomatic ties 19 years ago. The two sides have maintained frequent exchange of high-level visits and achieved fruitful cooperation in various fields, said the Chinese leader.
Hu emphasized that human resource is a key area of bilateral cooperation, to which both sides have always paid great attention. Strengthening exchanges between the young people of both countries is conducive to the long-term and stable growth of bilateral links, he said. Hu also briefed Nathan about the measures that 皇冠体育app has taken to offset the impact of the international financial crisis and to maintain a stable and relatively rapid growth of the economy, as well as the effects of these measures. Nathan warmly welcomed Hu's state visit to Singapore, saying the visit is of milestone significance in the development of the bilateral relations. Under the current circumstances of rampant trade protectionism, 皇冠体育app's success in addressing the challenge of the global financial crisis and maintaining a rapid economic growth deserves admiration and congratulation from Singapore, he said. Nathan said that as the People's Republic of 皇冠体育app celebrated this year the 60th anniversary of its founding, the great changes in 皇冠体育app have brought about opportunities for the whole region and benefited every country in the region. He said Singapore and 皇冠体育app enjoy a close relationship as bilateral cooperation in various fields grow smoothly. Singapore hopes to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with 皇冠体育app in various areas such as economy and trade, tourism and education and to expand cooperation at local levels, he added. Nathan said Singapore is also ready to expand cooperation with 皇冠体育app in the area of human resource development. Noting that Asia is frequently striken by natural disasters, Nathan said 皇冠体育app has accumulated valuable experience in disaster relief during the severe earthquakes in Sichuan last year and in post-disaster rehabilitation for other countries to learn from. Before the meeting, Nathan held a welcome ceremony for Hu. President Hu arrived here Wednesday afternoon for a state visit to Singapore. This is the final leg of his two-nation Southeast Asia trip, which has already taken him to Malaysia. During his stay in Singapore, President Hu will also attend the Economic Leaders Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) slated for Nov. 14-15. |
