President Xi Jinping (4th R) meets with parliamentary leaders of Nordic and Baltic countries in Beijing, capital of China, Jan 10, 2018. The delegates include Finland's Speaker of Parliament Maria Lohela, Norway's Olemic Thommessen, Iceland's Steingrimur J. Sigfusson, Estonia's Eiki Nestor, Latvia's Inara Murniece, Lithuania's Viktoras Pranckietis and Sweden's deputy speaker Eva Thalen Finne. [Photo/Xinhua] China and countries of the Nordic and Baltic regions should respect each other's core interests and major concerns following a principle of mutual benefit, equal treatment and inclusiveness, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday. Xi made the remark while meeting with a delegation of speakers from seven Nordic and Baltic countries, who are visiting China from Sunday to Saturday at the invitation of China's top legislator, Zhang Dejiang. It is the first time for the speakers from Nordic and Baltic countries to jointly visit China. By choosing to visit China, you show that you attach great importance to developing relations with my country, and we, too, share the same readiness to develop relations, Xi said. Calling it a new form of communication, Xi said the joint visit of speakers from Nordic and Baltic countries marks a new era of political mutual trust and exchanges. The president called for joint efforts to integrate each other's development strategy, expand practical cooperation and enhance Belt and Road Initiative cooperation to share the development opportunities brought by the interconnectivity of Eurasia. China and the Nordic and Baltic countries should keep a strong momentum on the high-level exchanges, enhance communication, boost understanding, set aside disagreements and seek common ground, Xi said. Noting that the relations between China and the Nordic and Baltic countries have gained momentum in recent years, Xi said that China and the countries are beginning to work in new areas of cooperation based on traditional areas of practical cooperation. I do hope that high-level interactions like this one will help deepen mutual understanding and trust between the two sides, leading to stronger cooperation and a flourishing of ties between our countries, Xi said. During the meeting, Xi introduced the economic and social development situation and China's diplomatic policies. China proposed building a community of shared future for mankind at the CPC's 19th National Congress, which is the goal of China's diplomacy in the new era, Xi said. The delegates congratulated Xi on the success of the CPC's 19th National Congress and expressed admiration for the CPC's people-centered goals. They spoke highly of China's achievements in economic development, improvement of people's livelihoods and poverty reduction. On behalf of the delegation, Maria Lohela, Finland's speaker of Parliament, expressed their gratitude for the reception, saying that the delegates have had an excellent program in Beijing. In a group interview after she met Xi, Lohela said, One thing that particularly amazes me is the way Chinese people and the Chinese leadership plan ahead and look into the future. This is something we could learn from China. Beside Lohela, the main delegates include Olemic Thommessen, Norway's president of the Storting, or Parliament; Steingrimur J. Sigfusson, Iceland's speaker of the Althingi; Eiki Nestor, Estonia's speaker of the Riigikogu; Inara Murniece, Latvia's speaker of the Saeima; Viktoras Pranckietis, Lithuania's speaker of the Seimas; and Ewa Thalen Finne, Sweden's deputy speaker of the Riksdag, a news release said. Cao Yin contributed to this story. debossed wristbandsilicone wristband usb flash driveembossed printed wristbands24 hour silicone wristbandstwenty one pilots rubber bracelet
The Cross-Straits Entrepreneurs Summit opens in Xiamen, Fujian province, Dec 4, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua] Cross-Straits economic cooperation has a solid foundation and strong driving force, China's top political adviser, Wang Yang, said on Tuesday, calling for closer cooperation among companies across the Taiwan Straits to achieve mutual benefits. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, addressed the opening ceremony of the Cross-Straits Entrepreneurs Summit in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Tuesday. He said the world situation has been complex and uncertain this year, with protectionism and unilateralism on the rise, but trade volume across the Taiwan Straits has stood the test and increased. The mainland and the island have their respective strengths in funding, markets, technology and human resources, he added, and the trend of economic complementarity of the two sides remains unchanged. Wang said the mainland's economy has shifted from a stage of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development, and there is a growing demand for quality products and services from Taiwan. The mainland's policy orientation of providing good services to Taiwan businesses is consistent, he said, adding that, The door of opening up to Taiwan will get wider and the policies and services will get better. Wang stressed that a peaceful and stable environment is the prerequisite for development and cooperation. He reiterated that compatriots on both sides should join hands, adhere to the 1992 Consensus on the one-China principle, and resolutely oppose Taiwan independence. Wu Chia-ying, president of the Taiwan Businessmen Association in Xiamen, said the summit has a meaningful historical background, because this year marks the 40th anniversary of the mainland's reform and openingup, to which Taiwan businessmen contributed a lot. He said Wang's speech showed that both the trend of cross-Straits business cooperation and the mainland's stance of giving favorable policies for Taiwan companies remain unchanged, reflecting Taiwan businesses' expectations. Businessmen on both sides should complement each other in industrial advantages to promote the prosperity of the country's economy, he added. Su Shih-chung, secretary-general of Taiwan Angel Club, an investment association based in Taipei, said Wang's speech showed that technical cooperation by companies on both sides will become a trend as the mainland promotes indigenous innovation. Taiwan's industrial scale is relatively small, but it has some technological strengths that can be shared with the mainland, and the summit provides a platform for companies to form deeper cooperation, he said. The annual summit was launched in 2013 as a grassroots platform for business communication and exchange across the Straits. About 1,000 business executives and heads of business organizations participated in the event.
