China Values Ties with Latin-America -- china.org.cn

China's top legislator Wu Bangguo and President Ney Lopes of the Latin-American Parliament met in Sao Paulo Friday to discuss relations between China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the Latin-American Parliament and major political issues of common concern.

During the meeting, Lopes said that both the Latin-American Parliament and he himself stick to the one-China policy and oppose "Taiwan independence," which he said is a serious political commitment.

The Latin-American Parliament's decision to grant the NPC the status as an observer in 2004 was a major approach to realize this commitment, he said.

Lopes expressed the belief that Wu's current visit will contribute to promoting the development of the already established friendly relations and cooperation between China's NPC and the Latin-American Parliament to a higher level.

Speaking on the same occasion, Wu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said that the NPC values its relations with the Latin-American Parliament and hoped the two would expand their friendly exchanges.

He said that the Latin-American Parliament was the most important inter-parliamentary organization in Latin America and the Caribbean region. The parliament has been playing an active role in maintaining regional peace and stability, promoting democracy and legal system building, and boosting solidarity among different peoples, Wu said.

Wu expressed gratitude and appreciation for Lopes' reiteration of the adherence to the one-China policy and opposition to "Taiwan independence," and thanked his support for China's efforts in realizing national reunification.

Wu arrived in Sao Paulo Thursday afternoon from Brasilia, where he started his Brazil tour on Tuesday. After Brazil, Wu is also to visit Uruguay and Chile.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2006)