Prime ministers of four countries to visit China

(ECNS) -- At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados, Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene of Mongolia, Prime Minister Hipkins of New Zealand and Prime Minister Pham of Viet Nam will attend the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin and pay an official visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Barbados is an important country in the Caribbeans and China’s important cooperation partner in that region, Mao said, adding that China and Barbados enjoy a traditional friendship. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 46 years ago, the tow countries have had deepening political mutual trust and fruitful cooperation in various sectors, which has brought tangible benefits for our two peoples.

Prime Minister Mottley's visit provides a good opportunity for the two sides to further enhance political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, bring bilateral relations towards greater heights and brighter prospects, Mao said.

During Prime Minister Mottley’s visit, leaders of the two sides will have in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest and share governance experience.

Mao noted that China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. In recent years, bilateral relations have maintained a sound momentum of growth with frequent high-level exchanges and deepening cooperation across the board. During President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsuh’s state visit to China last November, President Xi Jinping reached important common understandings with him on working together to advance modernization and building a China-Mongolia community with a shared future featuring peaceful co-existence, mutual support and win-win cooperation. China attaches high importance to the upcoming visit by Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene and looks forward to further deepening political mutual trust, enriching our comprehensive strategic partnership, and continuing to build a China-Mongolia community with a shared future through the visit.

Mao also said China and New Zealand are each other’s important cooperation partners. Last year, the two countries jointly celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Next year, they will mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of  comprehensive strategic partnership.

Over the course of more than half a century, China-New Zealand relations have enjoyed sound and steady growth, creating many “firsts,”Mao said. Cooperation in various fields has delivered benefits to both peoples and made significant contribution to regional peace, stability and prosperity. This will be Prime Minister Hipkins’s first visit to China after taking office. Leaders of the two sides will hold in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Mao hopes Prime Minister Hipkins's visit will be an opportunity to enhance mutual trust, expand exchanges, advance cooperation, and further deepen our comprehensive strategic partnership to the greater benefit of both countries and peoples. 

Mao said Viet Nam is "our socialist neighbor." In 2022, after the 20th National Congress of the CPC concluded, General Secretary Xi Jinping invited General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to visit China. The two leaders jointly charted the course for the China-Viet Nam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era. Since the beginning of this year, there has been frequent high-level interaction between the two sides, exchange and cooperation between various departments and at the subnational level has quickly resumed, and high-level common understandings are being steadily translated into concrete results.

During Prime Minister Pham’s visit, the two sides will discuss ways and steps to act on the top party leaders’ common understandings and in particular, exchange views on deepening Belt and Road cooperation, enhancing connectivity and stabilizing industrial and supply chains.

"We believe the visit will strengthen the sound momentum of growth in bilateral relations and promote solid progress in our deepening comprehensive strategic cooperation," Mao said.