Top Chinese political adviser Jia Qinglin and Argentine President Cristina Fernandez have lauded bilateral relations and pledged to further enhance cooperation.

The current China-Argentina cooperation had enjoyed an all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging development with ever-deepening mutual political trust and fruitful results from pragmatic cooperation in various fields, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said during their meeting Thursday.

As both China and Argentina were developing countries and emerging markets, it was of great significance for them to promote the comprehensive and in-depth strategic partnership in the new global environment, Jia said, adding the two countries had maintained close coordination in international and regional affairs.

China was willing to work with Argentina to intensify all-round exchanges, enhance mutual political trust, strengthen pragmatic cooperation, and realize common development, he said.

The two countries should actively promote the mutually beneficial cooperation in such key areas as energy, power, infrastructure construction, finance and agriculture, Jia said.

He called on the two countries to expand strategic collaboration to safeguard their common interests, and to strengthen cooperation and coordination in the G20 and other international organizations and multilateral mechanisms.

China and Argentina should also enrich people-to-people and cultural exchanges, consolidate their traditional friendship, and encourage and support youth exchanges between the two countries, enabling them to become successors of friendship, Jia said.

Fernandez offered her congratulations on the recent 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying the two countries shared similar development goals and strategies, as well as similar positions on many major international issues.

It was in the interests of the two countries to further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership, she said.

Argentina would continue to adhere to the one-China policy and hoped to further expand bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields and strengthen coordination in response to climate change, the international financial crisis and other issues, Cristina said.

During Jia's visit, the two sides also signed an agreement to facilitate visas for business travel between China and Argentina.

Argentina is the last leg of Jia's three-nation tour, which has taken him to Italy and Costa Rica. Endi