Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, called on Thursday for closer cooperation with Norway.

Wu made the call at a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Joergen Haarek Kosmo.

He said the past 50 years had seen smooth and comprehensive development in bilateral ties characterized by mutual trust and fruitful economic cooperation.

Wu said closer cooperation between the two countries not only served their interests but also contributed to world peace and development.

China and Norway, he said, shared common interests, held identical views on issues of peace and development and were willing to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Both countries' economies could supplement each other and had great potentials to be exploited, Wu said.

He said China had become Norway's biggest trading partner in Asia. Total trade volume between the two countries reached 1.76 billion US dollars last year, an increase of 21.7 percent over the previous year.

Wu appreciated Norway's support for the one-China policy, saying the Taiwan issue concerned China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He listed the reunification of Taiwan as a major historic task facing the nation.

Wu also briefed Kosmo on the economic and social developments in China over the past 25 years of opening up and reform.

Kosmo said the rapid economic developments in China caught the eyes of the whole world, and the business and financial circles in Norway showed great interest in investing in China.

He said Norway and China had different national conditions, and therefore they applied different measures to solve their own problems.

The Norwegian parliament was willing to promote ties with its Chinese counterpart, he stressed.

Also on Thursday, Wu met separately with Norwegian King Harald V and Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik Christian Mejdahl to exchange views with them on bilateral ties and issues of mutual concern.

Norway is the last leg of Wu's four-nation European tour that had already taken him to Russia, Bulgaria and Denmark.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2004)