Chinese premier meets with foreign dignitaries

TIANJIN -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday met with three foreign dignitaries in north China's Tianjin Municipality, on the sidelines of the 2008 Summer Davos forum.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) listens to the question raised by Founder and Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum, Professor Klaus Schwab during the opening plenary of the second Annual Meeting of the New Champions organized by the World Economic Forum at Tianjin Binhai Convention and Exhibition Center in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Sept. 27, 2008.[Xinhua]

The three were Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo, Montenegro Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, and Klaus Schwab, chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which founded the Summer Davos, also known as the Annual Meeting of the New Champions.

In his meeting with the Guyanese president, Wen reviewed the fruitful bilateral cooperation since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in 1972.

Guyana was the first country from the Caribbean region to participate in the Summer Davos forum, Wen noted.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L, back) meets with some representatives of entrepreneurs, who are here to attend the second Annual Meeting of the New Champions organized by the World Economic Forum, in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Sept. 27, 2008. [Xinhua]

This was the second time for China to host this top-grade world economic forum, which attracted some 1,400 participants from nearly 90 countries and regions, mainly entrepreneurs, officials and scholars.

Wen told the guest that China will continue to provide aid for Guyana and enhance bilateral economic cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

President Jagdeo reiterated Guyana's firm adherence to the one-China policy, and thanked China for its support to Guyana's social and economic development. He said Guyana would like to work with China for a stronger bilateral relationship.

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While meeting with his Montenegro counterpart, Wen hailed the progress of bilateral ties, and said China would like to enhance people-to-people exchanges and boost pragmatic cooperation between the two sides.

Djukanovic congratulated China on the successful launch of the Shenzhou-7 manned spacecraft on Thursday, as well as the country's tremendous progress over the past 30 years of reform and opening-up.

He said that Montenegro would like to step up high-level exchanges with China and enhance bilateral cooperation in areas like trade and economy, port development and tourism.

He also pledged that Montenegro will continue to follow the one-China policy, and support China's efforts to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In their meeting before the opening ceremony of the Tianjin Summer Davos on Saturday afternoon, Wen told Schwab that the two-day forum has coincided with the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.

"The forum offers an opportunity for the world to better understand China and for China to further integrate into the world," Wen said.

Amid the current global financial turmoil, the international community should enhance communication and cooperation, deal with the challenges together, and promote the steady growth of the world economy, the premier added.

Schwab said that the WEF has maintained a sound cooperative relationship with China for years, and the Summer Davos has become a top-grade business summit of global influence.

He expressed the hope that the constructive discussions about the world economy at this forum could help rebuild confidence in the international community, and push forward the establishment of a truly sustainable global system for economic and social cooperation.