State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and EU Council Secretary-General Javier Solana conferred on the international issues of common concern during their meeting in Beijing yesterday.

Tang said China and the EU are two important forces in the international arena and the further reinforcement of the bilateral ties will contribute to the world peace and common prosperity.

"It conforms to the common interests of both sides and serves the needs to maintain the world peace," Tang noted.

Tang said the two sides has established a solid foundation for cooperation in the international sphere, expressing the hope that both sides should expand the scope of cooperation and enrich cooperation contents and heighten the level of cooperation so as to add more substantial connotation to the China-EU strategic partnership.

Solana, who is here to attend eighth China-EU summit, said the EU hopes to go on deepening the bilateral cooperation through the dialogue between the leaders of the two sides and forge a still closer relationship.

Solana said the EU attaches importance to and appreciates the role that China plays in the regional and international affairs, voicing his hope that the two sides would enhance cooperation in such fields as nuclear nonproliferation, regional coordination and security.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2005)