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Hu, Sanchez discuss bilateral cooperation

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-18 00:00

SAN JOSE -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Costa Rican counterpart Oscar Arias Sanchez met in San Jose Monday to discuss further development of friendly cooperation between China and the Central American country.

The two leaders were to exchange views on major international issues of common concern, Chinese diplomats said.

According to the schedule, the two leaders will attend a signing ceremony of documents involving cooperation in economic, trade and technological sectors.

The Chinese president arrived in San Jose Monday after attending the G20 financial summit in Washington at the weekend.

This is the fist state visit to Costa Rica by a Chinese head of state since the two countries set up diplomatic ties in June 2007.

In October 2007, President Sanchez paid a state visit to China, which laid a solid foundation for the mutually beneficial and friendly cooperative relations between the two countries.

China is Costa Rica's second biggest trade partner. In 2007, bilateral trade registered a 33 percent increase over the previous year, totaling $2.8 billion.

President Hu, who is on a five-nation trip, will also visit Cuba, Peru and Greece, and attend the Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Organization (APEC) in the Peruvian capital of Lima.