China, Maldives pledge closer co-op on climate change

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with President of the Maldives Mohammed Waheed Hassan on Sunday and pledged to boost cooperation on climate change between the two nations.

Hailing the sound bilateral ties over the past four decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Wen said the two nations have set up a good example for countries of different sizes that treat each other equally and conduct cooperation in a friendly way, and that China will continue supporting the Maldives in economic and social development.

China will provide assistance for the Maldives to counter climate change, said the Chinese premier.

For his part, Waheed said China is a reliable friend and the Maldives is willing to increase communications with China in regional and international affairs, enhance their pragmatic cooperation and join hands with China to deal with global challenges including climate change, and advance the bilateral relationship into a new phase.

Waheed is in Urumqi to attend the second China-Eurasia Expo held in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China. The China-Eurasia Expo was upgraded from a regional trade fair, the 19-year-old China Urumqi Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Fair, in September 2011 when the first expo was held.