DAR ES SALAAM, June 24  -- Visiting Chinese vice president Li Yuanchao held talks on Tuesday with Tanzania's ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) vice chairman Philip Mangula on bilateral party ties.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the CCM have withstood the test of time since they established relationship in 1978, leading the development of relations between the countries, said Li, who was on a six-day official visit to the East African country.

In the new situation, the CPC attaches great importance to the development of the two parties' relationship and is willing to work with the CCM to boost the relationships between the two countries and the realization of the two parties' ruling objectives, Li said.

The Chinese vice president raised a three-point proposal to develop the two parties' relations. He called on the two parties to maintain high-level communication and deepen mutual political trust, to expand cadre exchanges and intensify communication on governance experience and to work together to hold multilateral activities to boost Chinese-African relations.

Mangula on his part said the two parties have witnessed ever deepening communication and expanding cooperation since the establishment of ties. The CCM is ready to deepen communication and cooperation with the CPC and to push forward the relations between the two countries, he added.

Briefing the press after the meeting, Mangula said Tanzania is still a socialist country that wants to learn how China was able to embrace socialism in this world of open economy.

"Tanzania is still a socialist country because its economy is people-centered," he said.

On Monday, the visiting Chinese vice president held talks with Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete and vice president Mohamed Gharib Bilal in which the Tanzanian leaders voiced hope for continued cooperation with China in investment and development loans.

Also on Monday, Li and Tanzanian prime minister Mizengo Pinda attended the opening ceremony of the Tanzania-China Business Forum.

Opening the forum, Pinda encouraged Chinese investors to invest in Tanzania through joint ventures and public-private partnership programs.

Data showed that a total of 522 investment projects from China worth 2.49 billion U.S. dollars have been registered in Tanzania to date, Pinda said. "Most of these projects are in the areas of manufacturing, tourism, construction and transportation sectors," he added.  

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