On February 19, 2002, President Jiang Zemin and Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde exchanged greetings on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, in which they vowed to join hands to promote the development of bilateral relations.

In his telegraph to his Argentine counterpart, Eduardo Duhalde, President Jiang Zemin expressed, on behalf of the Chinese government and people and himself, cordial greetings and good wishes to Duhalde as well as the Argentine government and people on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Jiang noted that bilateral friendly relations and cooperation have developed and been fortified since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Argentina. During the three decades, high-level reciprocal visits have been frequent, mutual understanding and trust have been deepened, and cooperation in such fields as politics, science, technology, culture and education has yielded substantial results. Argentina has become an important trade partner of China in Latin America. In international affairs, the two nations have supported each other and worked closely together, and the 30-year history proves that the Sino-Argentine ties, based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence, have conformed with the fundamental interests of the two peoples.

Jiang said that the Chinese government has attached great importance to the relations with Argentina. He noted that the two sides reached consensus on building across-the-board bilateral cooperative ties in the 21st century during his state visit to Argentina last April. He said in conclusion that China would like to make joint efforts with Argentina to enhance mutual political trust, promote cooperation of mutual benefit and push forward the development of bilateral relations.

In his message, Duhalde said the Argentine government has put great emphasis on the Argentina-China relations, which have turned a new page in the 30-year history, wishing that the two sides would create another resplendence in developing their relations in the 10 years to come.

He said the Argentine people admire the persistent go-ahead spirit and ability of their Chinese counterparts, which have enabled China to secure a prominent position on the international stage. Just like China, Argentina cherishes the great aspiration of contributing to the construction of the world, and is concerned with the maintenance of world peace and security. He pledged that his government will continue to shore up political, economic and trade cooperation with China. He voiced his belief that the smooth development of bilateral ties will greatly benefit the two peoples and further strengthen the links between Latin America and China.

On the same day, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and his Argentine counterpart, Carlos Ruckauf, also sent greetings to each other to mark the anniversary. Both ministers spoke out their hope that bilateral friendly relations will be further deepened in the new century.