China, EU vow to further parliamentary cooperation

China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang and European Parliament President Martin Schulz on Wednesday pledged to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation between China and the European Union (EU).

Zhang and Schulz exchanged congratulatory messages Wednesday to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the EU.

In his message, Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said the relationship between China and the EU has made substantial progress during the past 40 years and has ushered in a new period of stable and vigorous development.

The increasingly close inter-parliamentary cooperation and exchanges, an important part of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, are conducive to enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples and promoting bilateral relations, he said.

China, Zhang said, stands ready to work with the EU to lift the bilateral parliamentary cooperation to a new level so as to enhance the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

For his part, Schulz recalled his fruitful visit to China in March, which, he said, provided an opportunity to consider further steps of deepening the inter-parliamentary relations and setting an ambitious agenda for the comprehensive strategic partnership.

The EU and China have built up truly prolific relations over the decades, he said, adding that he looked forward to the prospect of deepening global cooperation between the two sides. Endi