Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo sent a message on Wednesday to Yohei Kono on his election earlier in the day as the new speaker of Japan's lower house of parliament.  

Wu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said Kono, a long time advocate of China-Japan friendship, has made important contributions to the development of bilateral relations.

Wu, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, expressed hope for further friendly exchanges and cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries, so as to contribute to closer friendship between the two peoples and a healthy and steady development of bilateral, neighborly and friendly cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2003)