Amman, Dec 15 (Petra) – Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Ayman Safadi on Monday welcomed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for talks on enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countries and developments in the region.

The ministers tackled ways to enhance bilateral relations and prospects for cooperation in such vital sectors as economy, trade, investment, knowledge economy, technology, and tourism.

They stressed the importance of activating signed agreements and memoranda of understanding and drawing up practical steps for their implementation and expansion to achieve common goals and serve the interests of both nations. They also agreed to hold annual political consultations between the Jordanian and Chinese Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

Safadi and Yi also talked about developments in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, stressing the need to adhere to the Gaza ceasefire, ensure the delivery of enough and sustained humanitarian aid, and tie achieving stability to a clear political horizon leading to an independent and sovereign Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

Safadi stressed the need to halt the dangerous escalation and illegal Israeli measures in the occupied West Bank, as well as ongoing violations of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites.

He commended Beijing's support of the Palestinian people's right to freedom and statehood based on the two-state solution.

For his part, Yi praised Jordan's pivotal role in achieving regional stability and peace, as well as its humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza.

The ministers agreed to maintain coordination on the development of bilateral relations and issues of common interest.

//Petra//SS