国内英语新闻:Chinese vice president says Sino-Belarusian ties have broad prospects

Sidorsky, for his part, spoke highly of the intensified cooperation between the two countries in recent years on economy, science, energy and others.

Belarus heartily thanked China for its help in Belarusian economic and social development, said Sidorsky, expressing confidence that Xi's fruitful visit would add new and strong momentum to the development of the friendly cooperative relationship between the two countries.

After their meeting, Xi and Sidorsky witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation agreements between financial institutions and enterprises from both countries, with a total worth of 3.4 billion U.S. dollars.

Xi, who came here on an official visit, also met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Xi hailed the Sino-Belarusian ties as a prototype for nation-to-nation relations.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky in Minsk, capital of Belarus, March 25, 2010.

In order to further advance bilateral ties, China and Belarus should maintain high-level interactions, strengthen mutual support, promote practical cooperation, enhance cultural exchange and reinforce coordination in international collaboration, said Xi.

Xi and Lukashenko on Wednesday also attended the signing ceremony of cooperation documents in such areas as economy, technology and finance, and met with entrepreneurs from both countries.

Xi left Belarus on Thursday afternoon and headed for Helsinki, Finland, the third leg of his 12-day, four-nation European tour that also included Russia and Sweden.