Premier Zhu Rongji held talks with visiting Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian at the Great Hall of the People on the afternoon of December 4, 2000, during which they had an extensive exchange of views on bilateral relations and other issues of shared interest.

Zhu said the Sino-Armenian relationship has been developing smoothly since the two countries established diplomatic relationship in 1992. He noted that the Armenian President, Speaker and Prime Minister visited China successively and some Chinese leaders also visited Armenia, adding that the exchange of high-level visits in recent years has enhanced mutual understanding and promoted friendship between the two countries. Zhu noted that President Jiang Zemin and the then Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan issued a joint communiqué in May 1996, which defined the basis of bilateral friendly relations. He stated that the communiqué laid a sound foundation for exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various areas. He added that through the concerted efforts of both sides, bilateral cooperation in all fields has been constantly expanded and has yielded positive results in recent years. He noted that China and Armenia have also supported and worked together in international organizations. He reiterated that the Chinese government stands ready to further develop all-round relations with Armenia and will always regard Armenia as a reliable cooperation partner. He went on to say that China supports Armenia's independence and sovereignty and its efforts to maintain social stability and develop the economy. He said China appreciates the fact that Armenia has adhered to the "one-China" principle and has never developed any official relationship with Taiwan. He noted that China is willing to conduct extensive cooperation with Armenia on the basis of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and non-interference in each other's internal affairs with a view to furthering the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Armenia and benefiting the two peoples. He added that the economies of the two countries are highly complementary in that Armenia is strong in scientific research and industry, while China's economy is large in scale with many different sectors. He noted that economic and trade cooperation between the two countries enjoys broad prospects. He went on to say that as economic globalization continues to gather momentum and both as developing countries, China and Armenia should step up cooperation and jointly explore new ways and new areas for further economic and trade cooperation in light of their advantages and national conditions and in line with the rules of market economy and international norms. He said China is convinced that through the concerted efforts of both sides, bilateral economic and trade cooperation will yield gratifying results, adding that the two countries should also enhance exchanges in science, culture, education, health care, sports and tourism in order to develop and substantiate bilateral relations.


Markarian said that the Armenian government is satisfied with the smooth development of Armenia-China relations and his government attaches great importance to relations with China, adding that Armenia-China relations have been made a priority of Armenia's foreign policy. He went on to say that the two countries have good prospects for strengthening ties in economy, trade, agriculture, education and culture. He noted that the Armenian government stands ready to work alongside China to further deepen the friendly cooperation between the two countries. He reiterated Armenia's adherence to the "one-China" principle. He invited Zhu to visit Armenia at a convenient time, for which Zhu expressed thanks.

After the talks, they presided over the signing ceremony of an agreement on educational cooperation between the two countries' education ministries.

Dec. 5, 2000