A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) met in Beijing Wednesday evening with the visiting Cuban communist party leader Raul Castro Ruz.

Chen Liangyu, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, said he believed that Raul Castro's visit will push forward the development of the friendly cooperation between Shanghai and Cuba in various areas, in particular in bio-pharmaceutics and tourism.

He also briefed the Cuban guests on Shanghai's social and economic development over past years.

Raul Castro, second secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, said that Shanghai has changed tremendously since his last visit.

"In Shanghai, we feel for ourselves the vitality of China's social and economic development," he said.

He agreed with Chen's views on future cooperation, saying that he believed the friendly exchanges and cooperation could score deeper and wider development.

Raul Castro, also first vice-president of the Council of State and first vice-president of the Council of Ministers of Cuba, came here Wednesday morning from Beijing.

He started his official visit to China on Sunday as guest of CPC.

Source: Xinhua