Beijing, June 20th—Ma Hui, Assistant-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today on the afternoon with Frances Lanitou, newly-appointed Ambassador of Cyprus to China.  

Ma welcomed Lanitou on her assumption of the new post in China. He said, China and Cyprus are good friends, good brothers and good partners. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Cyprus political mutual trust has been continuously deepened, with fruitful results of cooperation in various fields. China is willing to work with Cyprus to continue to enhance political party exchanges and exchanges and cooperation in various fields, strengthen mutual learning among civilizations, promote people-to-people bond, and push China-Cyprus strategic partnership to a new level.  

Lanitou said she was very honored to serve as the new ambassador to China. Cyprus-China relationship is at the best in history. Cyprus is willing to work with China to deepen traditional friendship, tap the potential for cooperation in economy, trade, people-to-people and cultural engagement, and jointly promote bilateral relations for greater development. As a member state of the European Union (EU), Cyprus is willing to play a constructive role in promoting the healthy and stable development of EU-China relations.