Chinese and Cuban parties vow to strengthen relations

China is ready to work with Cuba to innovate in the way their exchanges and cooperation are conducted, a senior leader in the Communist Party of China said on Wednesday.

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with a visiting delegation of the Communist Party of Cuba in Beijing.

The delegation, led by Ramon Balaguer, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of Cuba, arrived shortly ahead of the 96th anniversary of the CPC's founding in July.

Liu noted that the CPC cherishes the traditional friendship between the two countries, and the relations between the two parties is an important pillar of their relationship.

The Chinese side is ready to further deepen exchanges between two parties, reinforce pragmatic cooperation and better promote the building of the parties and the development of the countries, Liu said.

Key consensuses that were reached in previous meetings between Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and Raul Castro, first secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Cuba, outlined the direction for the development of relations between the two parties and between the two countries, Liu said.

Balaguer said that under the joint guidance of Xi and Castro, the two parties have strengthened their sharing of experiences on governing parties and countries, reinforced pragmatic cooperation and achieved fruitful outcomes.

Cuba admires the governance of the CPC and the achievements reached during China's development, he said. Cuba is ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two parties and bring the relationship to a higher level, he added.

Maria Teresa Montes de Oca, director of Chinese studies at the University of Havana, told Xinhua News Agency in a recent interview that the CPC has put China on a path to a "promising future" thanks to domestic and foreign policies that promote mutual respect and shared interests.

She said the CPC leadership has a clear vision of the direction the country should take to achieve development.

China has launched various initiatives to spur global trade and cooperation and to promote development both at home and abroad, she noted.

"The implementation of different mechanisms for cooperation, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, reflects the full scope of the strategic goals China aims to consolidate," said Montes de Oca.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/22/2017 page3)