China ready for port, railway cooperation with Latvia

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 26, 2015. Laimdota Straujuma was in China to attend the fourth leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European countries.[Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- China is ready for cooperation with Latvia in ports, logistics park and railway construction, said Premier Li Keqiang in a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Laimdota Straujuma on Thursday.

Li said China is willing to discuss cooperation on the construction of ports and a logistics park under the framework of a three-sea harbor district cooperation initiative.

The initiative refers to cooperation programs concerning the Adriatic Sea, the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, proposed by Li during the fourth leaders' meeting between China and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries held in Suzhou from Tuesday to Wednesday.

China will support companies with advantages in equipment, to the railway projects in the Baltic Sea area, Li said.

Calling Latvia an important cooperation partner of China in the Baltic Sea area, Li hailed the development of bilateral relations. He said China attaches high importance to the relationship with Latvia and is ready to promote a fast and healthy development of it on the basis of mutual respect and reciprocity.

Straujuma echoed Li saying Latvia is glad to see China participate in the programs including a railway, the port of Riga, Latvia' airlines and industrial parks.

Li also voiced support for Latvia, which will host the fifth China-CEE leaders' meeting the next year, to make the meeting a bigger and stronger platform for China-CEE cooperation.

As for China-Europe ties, Li said China always considers the relations from a strategic point of view, supports European integration and expects to see a prosperous and stable Europe.

Latvia is an important cooperation partner of China within the European Union. China hopes Latvia could continue to play a positive role for an in-depth development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, Li said.