Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, holds talks with Boris Kollar, speaker of the Slovak National Council, in Beijing, capital of China, April 18, 2023. [Xinhua/Zhang Ling]

BEIJING -- Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), held talks with Boris Kollar, speaker of the Slovak National Council, on Tuesday in Beijing.

Hailing the friendship between the two countries dating back a long time ago, Zhao said in recent years, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) cooperation, China and Slovakia have scored positive cooperation outcomes in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, tourism, culture, and interconnectivity, among others, delivering benefits to the two peoples.

Zhao added that China is willing to work with Slovakia to earnestly carry forward, maintain, and develop their traditional friendship.

He urged the two sides to strengthen cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, and transportation, adding that China welcomes Slovak enterprises to expand the market in China via platforms including the China International Import Expo and the China Import and Export Fair, and hopes the Slovak side can provide a fair, just, and unbiased business environment for Chinese companies.

Zhao also said China and Slovakia should continue deepening people-to-people exchanges, facilitate understanding among peoples, especially the youth, regarding their national realities, history, and culture, and join hands in promoting China-CEE cooperation and seeking more achievements in mutually beneficial cooperation.

Noting that China's NPC has maintained friendly exchanges with the Slovak National Council, which has played an important role in facilitating bilateral ties, Zhao said China is ready to conduct exchanges with the Slovak National Council on various levels via multiple channels, strengthen experience exchanges in legislation and supervision, deepening reform, and environmental protection, among others, to enhance a mutual understanding about development paths and foreign policies.

While briefing the Slovak side on the system of people's congresses, Zhao said Chinese people are full of confidence in the political development path and system chosen by themselves. China respects and supports people of all countries to take the development paths suited to their respective national conditions and is ready to work with Slovakia to deepen state governance experience exchanges and champion the diversity of world civilizations.

Calling China an important partner, Kollar said the two countries enjoy a broad base and massive cooperation potential. The world is colorful, and no one is in a position to seek confrontation or lecture others due to differences in political systems, he said.

Slovakia hopes to enhance dialogue with China, promote cooperation in transportation, high-speed railway, and automobile manufacturing, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and deepen cooperation of the two legislatures to work for continuous development of bilateral ties, Kollar added.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, holds talks with Boris Kollar, speaker of the Slovak National Council, in Beijing, capital of China, April 18, 2023. [Xinhua/Zhang Ling]