China, Libya vow to cement ties

Premier calls on two nations to expand exchanges in range of fields

Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday that China is willing to carry forward the traditional friendship and enhance political mutual trust with Libya to take bilateral ties to a new level, as he met in Beijing with the North African country's Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah.

Li also called on the countries to expand communication and cooperation in various fields and strengthen exchanges between their political parties and young people, among others, in order to deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

Dbeibah, who leads the country's Government of National Unity, is in Beijing to attend the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum on Thursday.

Li told the Libyan guest that China highly values the development of relations with Libya and firmly supports the country in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

The premier also expressed China's willingness to strengthen solidarity and coordination with Libya and other developing countries.

As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, Li said it is hoped that the anniversary, as well as the new edition of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held in China this year, will be opportunities to further enhance South-South cooperation and raise the representation and voice of developing countries in international affairs.

Dbeibah said his country adheres to the one-China principle and is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in different fields under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese enterprises are welcome to participate in Libya's reconstruction projects, he said.

He also expressed his country's willingness to work with China to promote the further development of China-Africa and China-Arab cooperation.

Last year, bilateral trade between China and Libya reached $6.1 billion, up 16.09 percent year-on-year, according to official statistics.

Also on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Dbeibah, who is also Libya's foreign minister.

During their meeting, Wang said China appreciates Libya's support for China's just position on the Taiwan question and added that China would like to work with Libya to continuously enrich the connotations of the friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries.

Dbeibah said that his country values developing ties with China, and the two countries' practical cooperation has played an important role in promoting Libya's socioeconomic development.

He also said that Libya expects China to play a bigger role in working for a settlement of the Palestinian issue at an early date.