On the afternoon of July 1, 2002, Premier Zhu Rongji held talks with visiting Mauritian Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth at the Great Hall of the People. In a sincere and friendly atmosphere, the two sides exchanged opinions and reached broad consensus on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

Zhu welcomed Prime Minister Jugnauth for his third visit to China. He said that Jugnauth's current visit on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-Mauritius diplomatic relations and his exchange of opinions with Chinese leaders on the future development of bilateral relations will definitely give impetus to the sustainable development of the existing friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

Zhu said he is satisfied with the stable development of bilateral relations between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations. He said that China and Mauritius have always trusted, supported and cooperated well with each other in international affairs, and the two sides have made significant achievements in political, cultural, and trade and economic cooperation. In particular, bilateral trade and economic ties have in general developed smoothly and mutually beneficial cooperation has expanded in terms of field and scale. Zhu said that the Chinese government has offered some economic assistance to Mauritius, which made certain contribution to the economic and social advancement of Mauritius. Chinese companies have also participated in the economic construction of Mauritius through investing directly or undertaking project contracts.

Viewing that Mauritius enjoys social stability, steady economic growth and ever-increasing living standard, Zhu said that Mauritius has worked out a developing path catered to its national situation. He added that China and Mauritius can share their successful experience as Mauritius is one of the African countries with a fast economic growth.

Zhu said that China and Mauritius are both developing countries and the improvement in their unity and cooperation conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples. China appreciates the Mauritian government's adherence to the One China policy and its not having official relations with Taiwan. Zhu said that China will, as always, work with Mauritius to strengthen exchanges and push forward bilateral friendly cooperation in various fields.

Zhu also briefed Jugnauth on related information of the China-African Cooperation Forum, saying the follow-up work of the forum is going on smoothly. He said that China has signed agreements with 31 African countries to reduce or write off their debts and has carried out its commitments. He also said that China and Africa have intensified cooperation in human resources development and initiated cooperation in other fields including tourism, environmental protection and finance. China is willing to work with African countries to push forward the mechanism initiated by the forum to expand China-African friendly cooperation in a long term and effective way in the new century.

Jugnauth felt very glad to visit China at the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, believing that this visit will definitely deepen China-Mauritius friendship and promote the development of bilateral relations. He said that the friendship between the two countries dates back to the early 19th century when some Chinese settled in Mauritius. Jugnauth said that now they have become an important part of the Mauritian society and taken an significant position in Mauritius's economic and cultural life. They also have great influence in the social and economic development of the Mauritian society, playing an important role in the construction of a new Mauritius.

Jugnauth agreed with Zhu's views on bilateral ties. He said that after the two countries forged diplomatic ties, a good momentum has been maintained in the development of their bilateral relations and the two countries cooperated effectively in areas such as agriculture, education and trade. The selfless assistance and sincere cooperation China has offered to Mauritius in many fields in past years has played a positive role in the economic development and the improvement of living standard of Mauritius. He said that the Mauritian government and its people are very appreciative of China's help. He also congratulated China on its World Trade Organization accession, expressing the hope that the two countries will further their cooperation in aviation, tourism, textiles, finance and other areas in the future, so as to promote the Mauritius-China relations.

After the talks, Zhu and Jugnauth attended the signing ceremony of three China-Mauritius cooperative documents on economic and technological cooperation, legal matters, and education.