Liu Yunshan calls for closer party exchanges with Czech Republic

Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan on July 17 called on political parties of China and the Czech Republic to maintain high-level contacts and enhance exchanges on state governance and party building so as to facilitate practical cooperation between the two countries.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, started his official good-will visit to the Czech Republic on Sunday after wrapping up a four-day tour to Romania.

During a meeting with Jan Hamacek, speaker

 of the lower house of the Czech parliament and deputy chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD), Liu highlighted the friendly cooperation between the CPC and the CSSD, urging the political parties of the two countries to keep promoting contacts in different aspects.

Closer party exchanges, Liu said, would help consolidate the political and social base for bilateral friendship, as well as promote the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and enhance cooperation within the 16+1 cooperation mechanism.

Hailing the rapid development of closer cooperation in various fields, Liu said that the strategic consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Czech President Milos Zeman has pointed out the direction for the future development of bilateral ties.

"We stand ready to work with the Czech Republic to implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and advance the relations to a higher level," he said.

For his part, Hamacek welcomed Liu's visit and attendance at the 2017 China Investment Forum being held in Prague, saying President Xi's visit to the Czech Republic last year had opened a new chapter for the relations between the Czech Republic and China.

The rapid development of bilateral relationship has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples as well as the enterprises of the two countries, Hamacek said, adding that the Czech Republic would actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Hamacek said the close cooperation between the CPC and the CSSD has deepened their mutual understanding and given a boost to mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.

The China-CEE 16+1 mechanism is a platform created in April 2012 by China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.