Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), holds talks with President of Chile's Chamber of Deputies Leal in Valparaíso

On the afternoon of September 6, 2006, local time, Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), who is in Chile for an official goodwill visit, held talks with Antonio Leal Labrin, President of Chile's Chamber of Deputies, in the National Congress building in the city of Valparaíso. Both sides made positive comments on bilateral ties and agreed to continue giving full play to the features and advantages of parliamentary exchanges and jointly push for China-Chile comprehensive cooperative partnership.

Wu said that as developing countries, China and Chile have similar past, face the same task, share broad common interests with no accumulated grievances left over from history and hold same or similar views on many key international and regional issues. To develop the Sino-Chilean relations is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples, which is also conducive to the development of ties between China and Latin America and to regional and world peace and prosperity, Wu said. He added China attaches great importance to its relationship with Chile and is willing to work together with Chile to promote pragmatic cooperation in various fields and push the all-round China-Chile partnership of cooperation to a new high.

On parliamentary exchanges, Wu said despite different national conditions, the two parliaments both play an important role in state political life and developing state-to-state relations needs parliaments' support and participation. Wu said the NPC of China attaches importance to ties with Chile's Chamber of Deputies and is willing to enhance friendly exchanges at various levels, launch cooperation in various fields, further strengthen mutual political trust and promote pragmatic cooperation in the areas of economy, trade and culture, as well as between regions, so as to inject new vitality into the development of bilateral ties.

Wu also expressed the hope that the two legislative bodies would achieve substantive exchanges, deepen mutual understanding and enhance mutual political trust through their political dialogue mechanism so as to enrich the content of parliamentary exchanges for tangible effect.

For his part, Leal said the same or similar views held by China and Chile on the world development have turned the two countries into important partners, and the legislatures of the two countries have played an important role in promoting bilateral relations. He also said although lawmakers of the Chamber of Deputies come from different regions of Chile and from different political parties, they unanimously favor developing relations with China. The establishment of the political dialogue mechanism has fully manifested the wishes of the two sides to develop the all-round and friendly Chile-China ties. It is believed bilateral ties will score more satisfactory achievements.

Following the talks, Leal, on behalf of Chile's Chamber of Deputies, awarded a Medal of the Chamber of Deputies to Wu. In his enthusiastic speech delivered at the awarding ceremony, Leal spoke highly of China's internal and external policies, enormous achievements in the reform and opening up endeavor and its constructive role in international and regional affairs.

On the afternoon of the same day, the political dialogue committee between the NPC of China and Chile's National Congress held its first session, which marks the official launch of the parliamentary exchange mechanism between the two countries.

On the evening, Wu attended a welcome banquet hosted by Chile's Senate President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle.