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On the afternoon of July 30, 2004, Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with King Abdullah II of Jordan who was on a state visit to China at the Great Hall of the People. The two sides agreed to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields so as to bring China-Jordan relations to a new level.

Hu Jintao said that with the establishment of diplomatic ties 27 years ago, China-Jordan relations are becoming better and better. In recent years, leaders of the two countries have maintained close contacts, bilateral trade is growing rapidly, exchanges and cooperation in culture, education, tourism and some other fields have yielded remarkable results, local and non-governmental exchanges are increasingly active and the two countries have maintained good communication and cooperation in international affairs. China appreciates Jordan's long-term adherence to the one-China policy and its support for China's lofty cause of reunification.

Abdullah II said that Jordan-China relations were founded jointly by older generations of leadership of the two countries and have been developing in good shape over the past decades. Jordan attaches great importance to and places a priority on relations with China in its foreign policies, and hopes to establish even closer relationships with China in various fields. Abdullah II emphasized that Jordan would continue pursuing the one-China policy and supporting China's lofty cause of reunification.

To develop the relations between China and Jordan featured by long-term friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation, Hu Jintao put forward three proposals. First, two sides should continue the various forms of top-level exchanges, strengthen exchanges between the governments and parliaments of the two countries, have closer political and diplomatic consultation and enhance cooperation in international organizations, such as the United Nations. Second, the two sides should conduct deep-going explorations into new areas and new channels for the enhancement of the mutually beneficial cooperation and the expansion of bilateral trade between the two countries. The two sides should continue encouraging and supporting two-way investment and strengthen cooperation in high-tech and high added-value fields. Government agencies of the two countries should serve as a bridge for the deepened cooperation between their enterprises. The Chinese government supports a larger number of competitive Chinese enterprises to participate in Jordan's efforts aimed at economic development and also welcomes Jordanian enterprises to invest, set up factories or do business in China. Third, the two sides should continue expanding their exchanges and cooperation in culture, education, human resources training, tourism and other related fields. China supports Jordan in its efforts to conduct teaching in Chinese and would like to continue offering scholarships to Jordan so as to help Jordan train personnel in economy and management.

Abdullah II agreed to the proposals of Hu Jintao. He said that Jordan and China are enjoying very good political relations and their cooperation in economy and trade is also highly productive. Therefore Jordan hopes that the two sides can further boost economic and trade cooperation including telecommunications, information industry and tourism, promote cultural exchanges and deepen the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Speaking of China-Arab relations, Hu Jintao noted that China-Arab Cooperation Forum is a new mechanism for China and Arab states to enhance dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. China stands ready to make concerted efforts with Arab states including Jordan to make the forum operate well and give full play to role of the forum to make new contributions to the composition of the new chapter in the friendly cooperation between China and Arab countries.

The two sides also exchanged views on issues of common interest.

Abdullah II said that he was pleased to see the establishment of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, which represents an important measure to strengthen Arab-China relations. He added that China is an important member of the international community, a member that asserts justice in international affairs. Jordan appreciates China's positions on the Palestinian-Israel issue and the issue on Iraq and hopes that China will play an even greater role in the Middle East affairs in the future.

Following the talks, the two heads of state attended the signing ceremony of two cooperation documents, including the agreement on economic and technological cooperation between the two governments.

Prior to the talks, Hu Jintao held a welcoming ceremony for the visit to China by King Abdullah II at the North Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Han Qide, State Councilor Chen Zhili, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Liu Yandong, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of China Democratic League Wang Weicheng, Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai and some other officials were present at the welcoming ceremony.