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Photo: saeima.lv

As LETA was told at the Saeima press office, Murniece praised active political dialogue between Latvia and China and expressed Latvia’s wish for more dynamic economic relations with China.

The Saeima speaker also voiced satisfaction about active parliamentary contacts between the two countries. “We have welcomed in Saeima the chairman of the National People’s Congress, the vice-speaker and the Chinese prime minister. I am also thankful for the excellent welcome the Baltic and Nordic (NB8) parliament speakers received in China at the beginning of this year,” Murniece said.

Zhang Qingli greeted Latvia on the centenary of its statehood and voiced pleasure at the opportunity to visit the Baltic state.

Murniece noted Latvia’s interest in cooperation with China in areas like trade, investment, transport and logistics. Latvia’s supports China’s Belt and Road initiative and wants to be part of it. Cooperation in the 16+1 format, which Eastern and Central European countries and China have formed in addition to the EU-China dialogue, is also important to Latvia. In this format, Latvia’s priorities include transport, investment in infrastructure projects, trade and tourism.

Last year, Latvia received nearly 60,000 tourists from China. Both Murniece and Zhang Qingli praised the dynamic and agreed that this is a good basis for launching direct flights between China and Latvia. A direct route would increase the number of Chinese tourists in Latvia even more, the Chinese official said.

Ojars Eriks Kalnins (Unity), chairman of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergejs Potapkins, chairman of the Saeima group for cooperation with the Chinese parliament, also took part in the meeting with Zhang Qingli.