Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz in east China's Shanghai, Nov 4, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

SHANGHAI - Premier Li Qiang on Saturday met with a series of foreign guests who were visiting China to attend the 6th China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

In a meeting with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, Li said that the special friendly relationship between China and Cuba is unbreakable and has grown from strength to strength, noting that the two countries are both socialist countries under the communist party leadership.

He said that China stands ready to work with Cuba to follow through on the important common understandings of the two heads of state, strengthen political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and achieve more tangible cooperation results, to make greater progress in building a China-Cuba community with a shared future.

China will, as always, support Cuba's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and its just cause of opposing foreign interference, Li said, calling for more cooperation in fields such as new energy, biomedicine, agriculture, tourism, and the digital economy, to bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples

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China will, as always, support Cuba's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and its just cause of opposing foreign interference, Li said, calling for more cooperation in fields such as new energy, biomedicine, agriculture, tourism, and the digital economy, to bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples.

Marrero said that Cuba firmly supports a series of important initiatives proposed by China, upholds the one-China principle, and is willing to strengthen the exchange of experience in governance and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.

Cuba also stands ready to make unremitting efforts in promoting cooperation between China and Latin American and Caribbean states, Marrero said.

After the meeting, Li and Marrero attended a signing ceremony for several documents regarding bilateral cooperation.

Everlasting friendship

Li also met with Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, saying that, since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Kazakhstan relations have stood the test of changes in the international landscape and continued to rise to a new level.

Li said that building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future is a far-sighted strategic decision made by the two heads of state and a fundamental guideline for the future development of bilateral relations.

China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to carry forward the concept of everlasting friendship, high mutual trust and solidarity in all aspects of bilateral cooperation, support each other in the modernization drive, and work together to bring more benefits to the two peoples, Li said.

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He urged the two countries to pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expand trade, deepen cooperation on production capacity and investment, speed up the negotiations and signing of a new investment protection agreement, and tap the potential of cooperation in new energy.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov in east China's Shanghai, Nov 4, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

China supports Kazakhstan in hosting the next China-Central Asia Summit and the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and will jointly push for new achievements in the China-Central Asia mechanisms and the SCO cooperation, Li said.

Smailov said that Kazakhstan speaks highly of the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership of the two countries and the fruitful bilateral cooperation, and supports a series of important initiatives proposed by China.

Kazakhstan is willing to promote the Belt and Road Initiative with China, strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, jointly fight terrorism, separatism, and extremism with China, deepen the cooperation under the China-Central Asia mechanisms and the SCO cooperation, and jointly build a Kazakhstan-China community with a shared future, Smailov said.

Pragmatic cooperation

Li also met with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, noting that China-Serbia relations have become increasingly close, and pragmatic cooperation has been fruitful in recent years, setting an example of friendly relations between China and European countries.

China stands ready to work with Serbia to follow through on the important common understandings of the two heads of state, further synergize development strategies, deepen and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, and constantly push China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level, Li said.

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He called on both countries to support each other in safeguarding their core interests, jointly deal with common challenges, and firmly defend common interests.

China will enhance the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Serbia's re-industrialization strategy as well as the vision 2025, said Li, stressing the need to build and operate the Hungary-Serbia railway well, work for the early implementation of the bilateral free trade agreement, and explore new growth points for cooperation on the digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, and ecological and environmental protection.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic in east China's Shanghai, Nov 4, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Brnabic said Serbia values the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, highly appreciates China's respect for Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests.

The signing of the free trade agreement between Serbia and China opens a new chapter in bilateral relations, Brnabic said, adding that Serbia will take this opportunity to strengthen cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, and elevate bilateral relations as well as the cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European countries to a new level.

Also on Saturday, Vice-Premier He Lifeng met with Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and former US ambassador to China Max Baucus, respectively, in Shanghai.

He welcomed Grynspan to China to attend the 6th China International Import Expo. They exchanged views on the current international economic and trade situation, deepening high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthening cooperation between China and UNCTAD.

During He's meeting with Baucus, who is in China to attend relevant activities of the US-China Business Council, the two sides exchanged views on economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States.