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China, Egypt vow to jointly overcome global financial crisis

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-26 09:29

CAIRO - Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang and Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazef on Thursday vowed to overcome the impacts of the global financial crisis.

During talks with Nazef, Li urged the two countries to strengthen coordination and cooperation in this aspect, putting forward a four-point proposal to the Egyptian side.

He first called on the two sides to further tamp the basis of the Sino-Egyptian strategic and cooperative relations which is established in 1999, maintain exchanges of high-level visits, and enhance mutual political trust.

He proposed to enrich the contents of the strategic cooperation in energy, telecommunications, transport, tourism and other fields, and explore new cooperative areas, such as infrastructure construction and technical exchanges.

Li underlined the priority to implement the major projects with strategic importance between the two sides and urged to make them the model for other projects.

He also urged the two sides to tap the market potential of each other in a bid to maintain world economic and financial stability.

Echoing Li's remarks, Nazef said Egypt is ready to work with China to overcome the impacts of the international financial crisis, and promote the stable development of world economy.

Li also emphasized the importance of Sino-Egyptian cooperation within the framework of Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum and China- Africa Cooperation Forum.

He said China is ready to make joint efforts with the Egyptian side to further enrich and push forward the new-type China-Africa strategic partnership and China-Arab partnership, for making greater contributions to the unity, cooperation and the prosperity and development among developing countries.

"With the upcoming tenth anniversary of the establishment of strategic and cooperative relations between the two countries, it is of great significance to actively promote the cooperation between the two countries for a higher level," he stressed.

The Chinese vice premier thanked Egypt for its firmly stance on the one-China policy, and its help and aids after China's devastating Wenchuan earthquake in May. Nazef reiterated that Egypt abides by the one-China principle.

After the talks, the two attended the signing ceremony of some cooperation projects on economy and technology, and on training program in fisheries.

Li arrived here Wednesday afternoon for a four-day official visit at the invitation of Nazef. Egypt is the second leg of Li's first overseas trip since he took office as vice premier in March. The trip has brought him to Indonesia and will bring him to Kuwait.

According to Chinese statistics, trade volume between China and Egypt has reached more than US$5.3 billion as of October this year, a 44-percent increase compared with the same period of last year.

By the end of July, about 570 Chinese companies have invested in the northeastern African country.