Premier Wen Jiabao met in Beijing on Thursday afternoon with Egypt's visiting People's Assembly Speaker Ahmed Sorour, calling on the two sides to push forward the bilateral strategic partnership to a new level.

Wen hailed the development of the bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and tourism fields, adding that the two countries also forged closer coordination on regional and international issues.

"We already signed guidelines to further our partnership and established the regular exchange mechanism between the two parliaments, which I believe will play an active role to further the bilateral relations," Wen noted.

He said that China attaches great importance to the ties with Egypt, and highly appreciates the country's long-term adherence to the one-China policy.

"China is willing to make joint efforts with the Egyptian side to strengthen economic and trade cooperation and step up the bilateral relations to a new level," the premier said.

Sorour said the Egypt-China relations already established a good example for harmonious coexistence and common development among developing countries, promising that the Egyptian People's Assembly would continue to play its special role in a bid to promote the bilateral relations.

At the invitation of Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo, Sorour arrived in China on October 20 for a week-long official good-will visit.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2007)