Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met in New York on Wednesday with Prime Minister Baldwin Spenser of Antigua and Barbuda to discuss bilateral ties.

China stands ready to explore cooperation in new fields with Antigua and Barbuda, Yang told Spenser at the meeting on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

He hoped the two sides will further elevate their trade and economic ties through bilateral channels and within the framework of the China-Caribbean Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum.

Spenser, for his part, hoped that the two nations will step up exchanges and cooperation in such areas as infrastructure and human resources training.

He said Antigua and Barbuda values its friendly cooperation with China and is grateful for the economic assistance provided by China over many years.

On the same day, Yang also met Serbian President Boris Tadic, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio and former US President Bill Clinton.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2007)