Fu Tieshan, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met with a delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Beijing Monday.

The delegation was headed by Gustavo Selva, chairman of the committee.

Fu spoke highly of the relationship between China and Italy. "Thanks to joint efforts, bilateral cooperation have seen rapid development in recent years," he said.

Fu also briefed the guests on China's policies on religion and freedom of belief.

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2004)