China fully supports the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus and strongly believes that the Cyprus problem must be solved on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has stressed.

The Chinese official, who is currently paying Cyprus an official visit, has held Monday morning a meeting in Nicosia with his Cypriot counterpart Markos Kyprianou and later on was received by President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias.

Yang Jiechi expressed hope that the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus continue their meetings in the framework of the UN-led direct negotiations aiming to reach a solution in Cyprus, so that "their differences are narrowed and they reach a mutually acceptable solution".

China, he said, appreciates the "hard and sincere efforts undertaken by the Republic of Cyprus" towards reaching a solution in Cyprus. "We believe that the independence, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus must be fully respected and we support that the Cyprus problem must be resolved on the basis of the UN resolutions and decisions", he underscored. Moreover, he expressed his country's appreciation for the support of Cyprus towards China as regards issues of high importance for Beijing.

In his statements, the Cypriot Foreign Minister said that China is a very close friend of the Republic of Cyprus as well as a UNSC permanent member state, underlining the importance of China and its support towards Cyprus within the UNSC. Cyprus and China, he said, support the principles of international law, especially as regards the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states and support the principle of "one China and one Cyprus". The meeting, he said, was held in a very friendly atmosphere, during which they discussed bilateral relations and EU-China relations.

"Cyprus, being an EU member state, supports and strongly believes that China is a strategic partner of the EU", he pointed out. Regarding bilateral ties, Kyprianou said that their political relations are excellent. He noted though that there is still room to further enhance their relations in the fields of commerce, culture and education.
The Chinese minister said that the goal of his visit is to further promote the existing good relations between both countries, saying they agreed to enhance the exchange of visits on governmental, parliamentary and political party level, as well as between the people of the two countries.

He said that the government of China will encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Cyprus, Chinese tourists to visit Cyprus, as well as more Cypriots to study in China.During their meeting, the two ministers discussed the results of the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen and the world economic crisis.

The Chinese official extended an invitation to his Cypriot counterpart to visit the EXPO that will take place in Shanghai and urged Cyprus to participate in the international fair, saying that this would open a window for the promotion of a closer cooperation between the two countries.
Kyprianou also expressed his deep sorrow and sympathy towards the people of China for the disastrous earthquake which recently hit China.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
President of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have been engaged in UN-led direct negotiations since September 2008, with an aim to reunify the island.