BEIJING, April 12 -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with President of the Republic of Suriname Chandrikapersad Santokhi in Beijing on Friday.

Li said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than 40 years ago, bilateral relations have maintained sound and steady development, with fruitful cooperation in various fields.

China is ready to work with Suriname to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen strategic mutual trust and promote practical cooperation, constantly enrich the connotation of the China-Suriname strategic cooperative partnership and bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples, he said.

China will, as always, support Suriname in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, and following a development path suited to its national conditions, Li said, pointing out that China stands ready to work with Suriname to strengthen cooperation in traditional areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, forestry and fishery, expand cooperation in emerging areas such as digital economy, blue economy and green economy, and deepen cultural and tourism, education and training exchanges guided by the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

China is ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Suriname in the United Nations and other multilateral mechanisms, actively implement the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, better respond to climate change and other global challenges, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Li said.

The Surinamese side thanks China for its strong support in fighting COVID-19 and promoting economic and social development, and appreciates China's active efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind by practicing multilateralism, Santokhi said.

Suriname firmly adheres to the one-China principle and supports China's efforts to promote national reunification, he said, expressing hopes of working with China to implement the global initiatives, stick to multilateralism, strengthen cooperation in agriculture, economy and trade, infrastructure construction, medical care, education, culture and tourism under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, deepen inter-party exchanges, and jointly tackle climate change.