SANAA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ismail Tiliwaldi, vice chairman of the Standing
Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature,
Tuesday wrapped up a four-day goodwill visit to Yemen.
During his stay in the country, Ismail Tiliwaldi met Yemeni President Ali
Abdullah Saleh, Prime Minister Ali Muhammad al-Mujawar, Parliament Speaker Yahia
al-Ra'i and other senior officials.
He told the Yemeni leaders that China and Yemen have enjoyed a
long-standing friendship and China is willing to deepen mutually beneficial
cooperation in various fields and enhance parliamentary exchanges with Yemen.
In recent years, the two countries have witnessed frequent high-level
visits, ever-deepening economic and trade cooperation, and close coordination on
international and regional affairs, said the legislator, who was visiting Yemen
at the invitation of the country's parliament.
China attaches importance to the development of traditional friendship with
Yemen and is willing to deepen bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation in such
fields as economy and trade, investment, culture, science and technology, and
the health sector, the legislator said.
He also called on the two countries to further parliamentary exchanges in a
bid to promote the all-round development of friendly relations between the two
countries.
President Saleh and other top Yemen officials spoke highly of the
achievements China has made in past years and congratulated the country on its
successful hosting of the Beijing Olympic Games.
They also expressed gratitude for China's sincere support and disinterested
assistance for Yemen's development and vowed to expand the scope of bilateral
economic and trade cooperation.
The parliament of Yemen has also pledged to deepen exchanges and
cooperation with its Chinese counterpart.
Yemen is the second leg of Ismail Tiliwaldi's three-country tour that began
in Tunisia and will end in Egypt.