President Xi meets Mongolian PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with visiting Mongolian Prime Minister Noroviin Altanhuyag in Beijing, Oct 25, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Mongolian Prime Minister Altankhuyag Norov in Beijing on Friday and pledged to further advance the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Hailing the frequent high-level interactions between the two sides, Xi said China and Mongolia respect each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity as well as path of development, looking after each other's core interests and major concerns.

Xi said mutual trust and traditional friendship had been growing in a sustained way over the past years.

This year, Xi met with his Mongolian counterpart Tsakhia Elbegdorj in September and Chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia, Zandaakhuu Enkhbold in April, and stated some basic principles for the development of the bilateral relationship.

Both China and Mongolia, as close neighbors, regard each other's development as an important opportunity and the two have seen ever-expanding economic cooperation in various areas, Xi said during Friday's meeting.

The 4,710-km border between China and Mongolia is one featuring peace, stability and friendship, said the Chinese president.

Xi said, if the two sides stick to the principle of mutual trust and reciprocity, the China-Mongolia relationship will surely grow in a sustained, healthy and stable way, which will benefit the people of the two countries.

To further advance the bilateral ties, Xi proposed the two sides should increase high-level interactions, enhance strategic cooperation, expand the scale and improve the quality of practical cooperation and expand people-to-people exchanges.

China and Mongolia should communicate more frequently on strategic issues, he said.

As to economic cooperation, Xi said the two countries should give full play to their mutually complementary advantages and boost cooperation on mineral exploitation and infrastructure construction and in the financial sector at the same time.

Altankhuyag said Mongolia gives priority to the friendship and reciprocal cooperation with China in Mongolia's foreign policy.