The Indian Ocean island state of Comoros will continue to support China's "one China" policy and strengthen cooperation with China in international affairs, Comoran President Azali Assoumani said in Moroni Wednesday when meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. 

Speaking highly of the cooperative relations between Comoros and China on equal footing, Assoumani stressed that the bilateral ties are based on mutual respect.

He also thanked China for its aid to Comoros in economic and social development.

Li, who started an official visit to Comoros on Tuesday, congratulated the Comoran government on the significant progress it has made in the national reconciliation process.

Stressing that China attaches great importance to the bilateral ties with Comoros, he said China is willing to further promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields and make relations between China and Comoros a model of South-South cooperation.

Li had talks on Tuesday afternoon with his Comoran counterpart, Souefou Mohamed El-Amine, and signed an economic and technological cooperation accord between the governments of China and Comoros.

Comoros is the second leg of the Chinese foreign minister's four-nation tour. Li first paid a three-day official visit to Sudan and he will later travel on to Djibouti and Uganda.

(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2004)