Premier Wen begins official visit to Slovakia
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-08 05:44

BRATISLAVA: Premier Wen Jiabao arrived here yesterday afternoon for a two-day official visit aimed at strengthening political mutual trust and economic relations with Slovakia.

It was the first visit by a Chinese premier to Slovakia since its independence from the former Czechoslovakia in 1993. Wen was due to hold talks with his counterpart Mikolas Dzurinda later yesterday.

Then they were to oversee the signing of two agreements on investment protection and telecommunications co-operation.

Slovakia was the second leg of the Chinese premier's five-nation European-Asian tour, which also includes France, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Malaysia.

Before ending his four-day visit to France yesterday morning, Wen toured a satellite facility in Cannes belonging to the French company Alcatel, which has already launched four Chinese orbiters.

On Monday Alcatel signed an agreement to make a Chinasat 6B telecommunications satellite.

During his French trip, Wen highlighted China's goal to be the master of its own future economic development by signing a memorandum of understanding that commits Airbus to a feasibility study for building an aircraft assembly plant in China.

"Sino-French co-operation in the aeronautic sector is no longer limited to the acquisition of aircraft, but has entered into a phase of technological co-operation and development," Wen said on Monday after the Airbus order was signed in Paris in the presence of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.

Wen will go to Kuala Lumpur to attend the ninth summit between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the First East Asian Summit.

(China Daily 12/08/2005 page2)