国内英语新闻:Senior CPC official meets with Estonian leaders on bilateral relations

Li said China values its relationship with Estonia very much and regards it as an important partner in the Baltic Sea region.

"Under the current circumstances, China hopes to further strengthen political exchanges with Estonia, expand economic and trade cooperation, and deepen people-to-people interactions," he said.

China encourages Chinese companies to invest in Estonia, especially on infrastructure projects such as port construction, he added.

On party-to-party exchanges, Li said such interactions serve as an important channel for countries to deepen understanding of each other and to promote friendship and cooperation.

The CPC would like to strengthen exchanges with all friendly Estonian political parties, including the Reform Party, to boost mutual understanding and friendship, he added.

Li congratulated Estonia on its effective handling of the adverse effects of the global financial crisis. China also wants to deepen its cooperation with Estonian within the framework of European Union (EU), according to him.

Estonian joined the EU in 2004 and is expected to be a member of the Euro zone in 2011.

Ansip congratulated China for successfully hosting the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and thought highly of the first-ever China- Europe High-Level Political Party Forum held in Beijing in May.

Estonia appreciates China's efforts to stress the principle that all countries, no matter big or small, should be treated as equals, he said, adding that this principle has been observed well in Estonia-China relations.

The Estonian leader also said his country views the rapid economic and social development in China as a major opportunity and hopes to expand and deepen bilateral pragmatic cooperation.

He said Estonia supports a healthy EU-China relationship and would like to play a positive role in this regard.

He reiterated Estonia's support for China on its core interests. Estonia is the first leg of Li's four-nation trip which will also take him to Montenegro, Ireland and Iran.