Chinese President Praises Friendship with Tonga ����President Jiang Zemin, in a meeting with Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV in Beijing October 7, said that China values its ties with Tonga and would like to further develop bilateral ties. ����Jiang said that the King's visit will deepen the mutual understanding and friendship of the two countries. With his positive promotion, the countries established diplomatic ties last November, Jiang said, and since then bilateral relations have advanced soundly. ����A trade agreement will be signed by the two governments during his visit and this will push two-way trade forward, Jiang said. ����The King said that China is a great country and the Chinese people are a great people and that the two countries have suffered similarly in the past, including foreign invasions and unfair treaties. He added the Tongan people value the friendly relations with the Chinese people and hope that bilateral cooperative ties will be cemented. ����Jiang said that China is pleased to know that Tonga has been accepted by the United Nations as its 188th member state and that China would like to strengthen cooperation with Tonga in the UN and in other international and regional organizations. ����He said significant changes are taking place in the world, but peace and development are common themes and that multi-polarization is unavoidable. China and Tonga both face the common task of developing their economies and improving the standard of living, Jiang said, and there are common interests rather than conflicts between the two countries. ����He expressed his appreciation for Tonga's sticking to the "One China" policy. ����After the meeting, the two countries signed trade and economic and technological cooperation agreements. ����The King arrived in Beijing Wednesday on a state visit at Jiang's invitation. (Xinhua) HomeNews 1999-10-08 Page1 Full Story in Chinese