Chairman Li Peng of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress met with a delegation from the Tanzanian Revolutionary Party (TRP) headed by its Secretary-General Philip Mangula Monday.
Li, also a standing committee member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), expressed a warm welcome to the delegation, saying although China and Tanzania are far apart geographically, their traditional friendship enjoys a long history.
The close relationship between the two countries and the two parties, fostered by leaders of the elder generation from both sides, has withstood the test of history and international changes, he remarked.
China is satisfied with the recent smooth progress of bilateral ties and highly appreciative of the consistent pursuit of the One-China Policy by both President Mkapa and the Tanzanian government, he said, also expressing gratitude to Mangula for his support of China's stance on the recent air-collision incident involving China and the US.
China is a developing country, and it is China's basic foreign policy to reinforce unity and cooperation with developing countries, Li pointed out. So long as all the developing countries unite together and actively explore new cooperative modes, they can protect their common interests to the largest extent and effectively face up to challenges brought about by economic globalization, he said.
In opposing hegemony, safeguarding world peace, promoting common development and striving for a just and rational world political and economic order, China shares many common interests with Tanzania and other African nations, Li said, adding that the Sino-African Forum held in Beijing last year has set down a good framework for Sino-African relations.
Referring to party-to-party relations, Li said the CPC places great emphasis on its relations with the TRP and such a relationship will contribute greatly to overall bilateral relations.
Mangula said China has always stood on the side of the third world countries and offered unselfish assistance to African countries in their struggles for independence and in efforts to build up their countries.
The TRP is grateful for China's long-term assistance to Tanzania and with the current visit, the delegation aims to further promote the traditional friendship between the two countries.
He voiced support to China's solemn stance on the air-collision incident and asked Li to convey his condolences to the family of the missing Chinese pilot.
（People's Daily 04/23/2001)
