A reception was held at the Great Hall of the People here Thursday to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Austria.
Vice-Chairman Tian Jiyun of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and visiting Austrian President Thomas Klestil attended the reception.
Addressing the reception, Tian reviewed the development of diplomatic ties between the two countries. He said that the Sino- Austrian relationship has remained steady and smooth on the whole, despite the changing international climate.
The visits of the top leaders and people at various levels, and in particular, the visits of President Jiang Zemin to Austria in 1999 and the two visits of President Klestil to China, have greatly propelled the development of bilateral ties, Tian said.
He noted that, while sharing broad interests with Austria, China attaches great importance to its relationship with Austria, and is ready to promote the development of bilateral ties in the new century.
Klestil said that the two countries have conducted successful cooperation in the political, economic and technological fields in the past three decades, adding that Austria is willing to continue all-round cooperation with China in the future.
The reception was sponsored by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Austrian Embassy in China.
(People's Daily 05/17/2001)
