On April 18, 2002, President Jiang Zemin, upon concluding his state visit to Tunisia, bid farewell to President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali in a friendly atmosphere at the latter's presidential palace.

Jiang said that his visit to Tunisia is near its end. Though the visit is brief, it is rich in content. They have been accorded warm reception by the Tunisian government and people in the past two days. He would like to express, on behalf of his wife and the whole Chinese delegation, sincere thanks to President Ben Ali and his wife.

Jiang said that during the visit, he and President Ben Ali had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern. He also met National Assembly President Fouad Mebazaa and Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi. The two sides reached broad consensus on many issues, in particular how to promote the development of China-Tunisia relations in the new century. He expressed the belief that through unremitting joint efforts, China-Tunisia all-dimentional and multi-level friendly relations and cooperation will score new development.

Ben Alis expressed gladness at President Jiang Zemin's state visit to Tunisia at his invitation. He was satisfied with the development of Tunisia-China friendly relations and cooperation, and believed that the talks between Tunisian leaders and President Jiang are beneficial and fruitful. He said that Tunisia has always regarded China as a friendly country and an example to learn from, and appreciated and admired China's principled position on a number of major issues. He congratulated Jiang on the success of the visit and believed that the visit will open new areas and channels in Tunisia-China friendly cooperation.

The two sides exchanged views again on the current Middle East situation and Palestine-Israel conflicts.