On November 14, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan held political dialogue with the foreign ministers of the members of the Rio group in New York.

Tang said that this is the first political dialogue between the foreign ministers of China and the Rio Group in the new century. The two sides exchanged views on issues of common concern, which is of great significance to further promoting the cooperation and coordination between China and the Rio Group.

The foreign ministers of the Rio Group first congratulated China on its accession to the WTO. They said that the anti-terrorism issue is the concern at the current session of the UN General Assembly, but it is not the only issue. The development issue is also an acute one. The Rio Group attaches importance to relations with China. The two sides have constantly expanded the areas for cooperation and achieved satisfactory results. The foreign ministers said that under current circumstances, it is very important to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the Rio Group and China. The two sides should strengthen contacts not only in the field of international politics but also in the fields of economy and trade so as to maintain common interests.

Tang said that China joined the WTO after 15 years of negotiations. We appreciate the support and assistance China received from many countries including the Rio Group. China will strictly follow the rules of the WTO and implement its due obligations. We believe that China' s accession to the WTO will have a positive impact on China's reforms and opening up as well as its economic development, contribute to the development of the world economy, and bring new opportunities to China-Latin America economic cooperation. With the current grim picture in the global economy, regional cooperation is all the more important. We would like to strengthen cooperation with Latin American countries including the Rio Group to achieve more fruitful results in China-Latin America cooperation.

Tang also exchanged views with his counterparts on the anti-terrorism, Middle East, Afghanistan and other regional issues.