Chinese premier, Latvian president vow to boost ties   (Xinhua)  Updated: 2006-09-11 22:21  
HELSINKI -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Latvian President Vaira 
Vike-Freiberga vowed here on Monday to boost Sino-Latvian ties. 
 The two leaders made the pledge at a meeting on the sidelines of the 
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit, Chinese diplomats who attended the two 
leaders' meeting told Xinhua. 
 Wen said this year marked the 15th anniversary of the establishment of 
diplomatic relations between China and Latvia, and China would take this 
opportunity to map a long-term blueprint on promoting the bilateral relations. 
 Both sides should enhance mutual political trust, deepen economic cooperation 
and expand people-to-people exchanges, Wen said. 
 Vike-Freiberga said China treated small countries like Latvia as equal 
partners, demonstrating the essence of multilateralism. 
 China was among the first to recognize Latvia when it announced independence, 
and both sides had conducted fruitful dialogue, the president added. 
 Vike-Freiberga hoped that both sides could continue to strengthen cooperation 
in various fields and coordination in international affairs. 
 Wen arrived in Helsinki on Saturday for the two-day ASEM summit, which marks 
the ASEM's 10th anniversary and has gathered heads of state or government from 
13 Asian countries and the 25 member states of the European Union, including the 
Latvian president.
 
  
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