British Queen Elizabeth II met with visiting Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao and his wife on Tuesday in the Buckingham Palace, where they had a cordial and friendly conversation.
The Queen welcomed Vice-President Hu on his official visit to Britain and recalled her China visit in 1986, which she said left her with a very happy memory.
Bilateral relations between China and Britain saw a rapid development in recent years and have been promoted to a new high following Chinese President Jiang Zemin's successful visit to Britain in 1999, the Queen said.
The direct contact and exchanges of visit between leaders of the two countries facilitate their mutual understanding, she said.
Hu told the Queen that Chinese President Jiang Zemin had asked him to extend his regards to the Queen and Prince Philip. The Queen also asked Hu to convey her best wishes to President Jiang Zemin and his wife, who were received in the Buckingham Palace during their state visit to Britain two years ago.
Hu said he had held a very good talk with Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday and reached much common understanding on strengthening bilateral cooperation in all fields. Both were
satisfied with the smooth growth of bilateral ties and confident about their future development, Hu said.
Hu also stressed that the smooth development of Sino-British relations cannot be divorced from strong support of the Queen and the royal family.
"We appreciate the contributions made by the Queen and the royal family to deepening the understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries and to promoting the development of Sino-British ties," Hu added.
( People’s Daily 10/31/2001)
