In the past 60 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has emerged from civil war and poverty to become a player on the world stage, the chief of Mexico's state-run news agency said.

"China has changed substantially over the last 60 years," said Sergio Uzeta Murcio, director general of the Notimex news agencym, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"Sixty years ago, China was a poor country emerging from a civil war," Uzeta said.

Leaders of the new China have steered the nation onto a path of national development and economic growth, and have transformed China, he said.

"There have been strategic advances in the last 60 years," he said. "China is on the way to becoming a world power of the 21st century. China is influential in lots of areas in the world."

Uzeta said Mexico and China, both large markets, have much in common.

"There are many areas in which we can explore and grow together," he said. "We have a lot of political points in common."

The two nations have worked together in the United Nations Security Council, of which China is a permanent member and where Mexico has a rotating seat, he added.

Mexico has long been one of the leading nations in the fight against the proliferation of arms, both weapons of mass destruction and small arms, and has enjoyed support from China in this regard, he said.

"The two countries are very close despite the geographical distance," he said.

"China sees Latin America as an important trade partner ... we hope that China will also see Latin America as a place to invest," he said.

Notimex has only one correspondent in China, which Uzeta said was "far from appropriate" given the importance of a nation of 1.3billion people.

"It is important for us to know more about China," he said, " It is very interesting for Mexicans... China is one of the few nations that have survived the world financial crisis and even managed to grow."

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2009)