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SEOUL, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Li Changchun, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Tuesday called for stronger economic and trade ties between China and South Korea and urged their business communities to work together to help promote the strategic cooperation between the two nations.     Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the call in an address at a welcome luncheon for him hosted by four Korean business groups: the Korea Foreign Trade Association, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of the Korean Industries, and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Businesses. Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, delivers a speech during a luncheon with chiefs of four South Korean business lobby groups in Seoul, South Korea, on April 7, 2009. Li praised the development of bilateral ties since China and South Korea established diplomatic ties 17 years ago. During the past 17 years, bilateral relations have witnessed rapid development and cooperation and exchanges expanded in a comprehensive manner, which has benefited the two countries and the region, he said.     The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government attach great importance to the ties with South Korea and are willing to work with South Korea to continue strengthening and deepening the strategic cooperation, he said.     Li spoke about China's stand regarding the current global financial crisis, the measures it has adopted to counter the crisis and its participation in international cooperation.     The London summit of the Group of 20 yielded pragmatic results, he said. At the summit, Chinese President Hu Jintao's speech on strengthening macro-policy coordination, reforming international financial institutions and improving financial regulation, played a constructive role in the outcomes of the meeting, Li said.     He said that Hu and his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak, at their meeting in London, agreed to work to deepen the pragmatic cooperation in various fields between the two countries and push forward the bilateral relations.     Li suggested both sides make efforts to deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation to ensure the smooth growth of bilateral trade, enhance policy coordination to promote financial cooperation, work out new ways to boost mutual investment and strengthen multilateral cooperation to improve the international trade environment.     He also proposed entrepreneurs of the two countries continue to contribute to the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership, make new efforts to promote the mutual understanding and friendship between China and South Korea, facilitate the exchanges between the younger generation and promote the cultural exchanges between the two nations.     South Korea is the last leg of Li's four-nation tour, which has already taken him to Australia, Myanmar and Japan.

BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday hit back at a United States report on its human rights with its own report on the U.S. human rights record.     "The U.S. practice of throwing stones at others while living in a glass house is a testimony to the double standards and hypocrisy of the United States in dealing with human rights issues and has undermined its international image," the Information Office of the State Council said in its report on the U.S. human rights record.     The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2008 was in retaliation to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008 issued by the U.S. Department of State on Feb. 25.     For years, the United States had positioned itself over other countries and released the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices annually to criticize human rights conditions in other countries, using it as a tool to interfere with and demonize other nations, the report said. The U.S. has turned a blind eye to its own violations of human rights.     "As in previous years, the reports are full of accusations of the human rights situation in more than 190 countries and regions, including China, but mention nothing of the widespread human rights abuses on its own territory," China said in its report.     "The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2008 is prepared to help people around the world understand the real situation of human rights in the United States, and as a reminder for the United States to reflect upon its own issues," China said.     The report reviewed the U.S. human rights record from six perspectives: life and personal security; civil and political rights; economic, social and cultural rights; racial discrimination; rights of women and children; and the United States' violation of human rights in other countries.     The report warned the United States that widespread violent crime posed serious threats to its people's lives and security.     According to a report published in September 2008 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the country reported 1.4 million violent crimes, including 17,000 murders and 9.8 million property crimes in 2007.     More frequent gun killings were a serious threat to the lives of U.S. citizens, the report said.     It quoted the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention assaying that 1.35 million high school students in 2007 were either threatened or injured with a weapon at least once on school property.     The report said an increasing number of restrictions had been imposed on civil rights in the United States.     It cited government surveillance of online activities, new legislation on government wiretapping last July, more cases of police abuse of force and neglect of basic rights of 2.3 million prisoners in the United States.     The United States was facing a number of social problems, including a wide wealth gap, increasing number of homeless, needy people and those suffering hunger, the report said.     It quoted the U.S. Census Bureau as saying in August 2008 that 12.5 percent of Americans, or 37.3 million people, were living in poverty in 2007, up from 36.5 million in 2006.     The unemployment rate increased from 4.6 percent in 2007 to 5.8percent in 2008, the report said.     People in the United States saw their pension plans shrink, health insurance cut and school tuition increase, while drugs, suicide and other social problems prevailed, according to the report.     The report said racial discrimination prevails in "every aspect of social life" in the United States, ranging from income, employment, education, to judicial system, often with African Americans as major victims.     "Nearly one quarter of black American households live below the poverty line, three times that of white households," it said, citing The State of Black America, issued by the National Urban League in March 2008.     The jobless rate for blacks was 10.6 percent in the third quarter of 2008, twice that of the whites, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.     The report said the African American high school graduation and college entry rates still lingered at the level of whites "two or three decades ago", and African American students in public schools were "more likely to get physical punishment than White children."     "African American youths arrested for murder are at least three times more likely than their white peers to receive life imprisonment without the possibility of parole," the report said, quoting a 2008 report of the New York-based Human Rights Watch.     It also mentioned the infringement of basic rights of indigenous Americans, inhumane treatment received by immigrants, and serious racial hostility and rising hate crime in the United States.     On "worrisome" conditions of women and children, the report said gender-based discrimination in employment, and domestic violence and sexual violence toward women were quite serious.     Also, an increasing number of children were living in poverty and danger of being physically or mentally harmed due to abuse and violence.     "The United States is one of the few countries in the world where minors receive the same criminal punishments as adults," the report said. "It is the only country in the world that sentences children to life in prison without possibility of parole or release."     "The United States has a string of records of trampling on the sovereignty of and violating human rights in other countries," the report said.     It listed the Iraq war, prisoner abuse at Guantanamo, the five-decade embargo against Cuba and arm sales.     The war in Iraq had claimed more than 1 million civilian lives and caused the same number of homeless people, it said.     The United States maintained the embargo against Cuba, though the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution urging itto end the embargo in last October.     U.S. arm sales reached 32 billion U.S. dollars in 2007 and weapons were sold to more than 174 nations and regions.     The United States was inactive on its international human rights obligations and offered outbound humanitarian aid that was dwarfed by its status as the richest country in the world, the report said.     China in the report advised the U.S. government to "face its own human rights problems with courage, and to stop applying double standards to human rights issues".     This is the 10th consecutive year that the Information Office of China's State Council has issued a report on the human rights record of the United States to answer the U.S. State Department's annual report.     "Respect for and protection of human rights is an important indication of civilization and progress of human society," the report said. "Every government shoulders a common responsibility in committing itself to the improvement of human rights conditions.

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese business delegation inked trade deals worth more than 300 million U.S. dollars with Swiss companies on Thursday, ending the second leg of their four-state procurement tour in Europe.     The agreements covered products ranging from software to electric equipments and metals, which meet China's domestic needs, according to Chinese trade officials.     Among those agreements, Switzerland's ABB, a global leader in power and automation technologies, signed a letter of intent for the supply of generator circuit breakers to China Nuclear Power Engineering Company.     Switzerland's Glencore, one of the world's largest suppliers of a wide range of commodities and raw materials to industrial consumers, also signed a deal with Chinalco, the world's second largest alumina producer and the third largest primary aluminum producer.     Holcim, one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates based in Switzerland, deepened its partnership with China's Huaxin Cement Company (HCC). They signed a frame agreement for technical service, technology and new equipment supplies covering the next two years.     Holcim is already the single largest shareholder in HCC, holding a stake of 39.9 percent of the Chinese firm.     "HCC with Holcim's support will continue to strengthen and extend its leading role as a modern cement producer in China," the two companies said in a statement. Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming (L) shakes hands with Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard, after signing a memorandum on the intensification of technical cooperation in the field of environmental technology, in Zurich, Switzerland, Feb. 26, 2009. Chen and Leuthard attended here on Thursday the Sino-Swiss Economic and Trade Forum with the aim of intensifying relations between Swiss and Chinese companiesChinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming, who led the delegation, said that besides this team, there will be more Chinese business delegations coming to Switzerland for trade and investment opportunities.     Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard revealed that a Swiss business group will also go to China within the year.     Both ministers witnessed the deal-signing ceremony and opened an economic and trade forum with the aim of intensifying relations between Swiss and Chinese companies.     Addressing the forum, Chen said that cooperation is the effective way to tackle the international financial crisis which posed great challenge to world economy. Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming (L) and Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard attend a press conference in Zurich, Switzerland, Feb. 26, 2009. Chen and Leuthard attended here on Thursday the Sino-Swiss Economic and Trade Forum with the aim of intensifying relations between Swiss and Chinese companies"Past experience shows that in time of crisis it is all the more important to adhere to a policy of openness and cooperation," he said. "Protectionism will not revive the economy. Rather, it will exacerbate the recession."     "This trade and investment promotion delegation to Europe is a clear indication of China's opposition to protectionism and its readiness to work together with Europe in tiding over the crisis," he added.     Highlighting China and Switzerland are important economic and trade partners to each other, Chen said the two economies are highly complementary.     China is highly competitive in labor-intensive products, such as garments, jewelry, footwear and containers, offering budget choice to Swiss consumers, while Switzerland boasts a distinct competitive edge in watches, medicines, measuring instruments and precision machinery.     In 2008, bilateral trade between China and Switzerland reached 11.25 billion U.S. dollars, increasing 19.2 percent despite the economic downturn. China is now Switzerland's second largest trading partner in Asia.     Leuthard said that the visit by the Chinese delegation sent a strong signal that China and Switzerland remain committed to open markets and against protectionism.     She said the agreements between Swiss and Chinese companies are "good news to our businesses."     "They signed contracts which will safeguard jobs and strengthen the cooperation between Swiss and Chinese companies in different fields in our economy," she said.     Earlier today, Leuthard and Chen signed a memorandum on the intensification of technical cooperation in the field of environmental technology.     "Switzerland and China will cooperate more strongly to ensure that economic growth can be shaped in a more sustainable and environmentally-sound manner," the Swiss government said.     To this end, a joint working group is to be established to examine the potential for cooperation in the areas of technology transfer, energy efficiency, renewable energies and the efficient use of resources. The group will submit proposals on the shape of this cooperation.     Switzerland is the second stop of the Chinese business delegation's European tour. On Wednesday, they signed 37 procurement deals worth about 11 billion euros (14 billion U.S. dollars) with local firms in Germany.     In an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday, Chen expected purchase deals with Switzerland would be modest compared with Germany due to the gap in the two countries' economic scales.     The delegation will arrive in Madrid, Spain later today and then London, the last stop. Chen said the deals to be signed there could be a more than in Switzerland.

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ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese business delegation inked trade deals worth more than 300 million U.S. dollars with Swiss companies on Thursday, ending the second leg of their four-state procurement tour in Europe.     The agreements covered products ranging from software to electric equipments and metals, which meet China's domestic needs, according to Chinese trade officials.     Among those agreements, Switzerland's ABB, a global leader in power and automation technologies, signed a letter of intent for the supply of generator circuit breakers to China Nuclear Power Engineering Company.     Switzerland's Glencore, one of the world's largest suppliers of a wide range of commodities and raw materials to industrial consumers, also signed a deal with Chinalco, the world's second largest alumina producer and the third largest primary aluminum producer.     Holcim, one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates based in Switzerland, deepened its partnership with China's Huaxin Cement Company (HCC). They signed a frame agreement for technical service, technology and new equipment supplies covering the next two years.     Holcim is already the single largest shareholder in HCC, holding a stake of 39.9 percent of the Chinese firm.     "HCC with Holcim's support will continue to strengthen and extend its leading role as a modern cement producer in China," the two companies said in a statement. Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming (L) shakes hands with Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard, after signing a memorandum on the intensification of technical cooperation in the field of environmental technology, in Zurich, Switzerland, Feb. 26, 2009. Chen and Leuthard attended here on Thursday the Sino-Swiss Economic and Trade Forum with the aim of intensifying relations between Swiss and Chinese companiesChinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming, who led the delegation, said that besides this team, there will be more Chinese business delegations coming to Switzerland for trade and investment opportunities.     Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard revealed that a Swiss business group will also go to China within the year.     Both ministers witnessed the deal-signing ceremony and opened an economic and trade forum with the aim of intensifying relations between Swiss and Chinese companies.     Addressing the forum, Chen said that cooperation is the effective way to tackle the international financial crisis which posed great challenge to world economy. Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming (L) and Swiss Economy Minister Doris Leuthard attend a press conference in Zurich, Switzerland, Feb. 26, 2009. Chen and Leuthard attended here on Thursday the Sino-Swiss Economic and Trade Forum with the aim of intensifying relations between Swiss and Chinese companies"Past experience shows that in time of crisis it is all the more important to adhere to a policy of openness and cooperation," he said. "Protectionism will not revive the economy. Rather, it will exacerbate the recession."     "This trade and investment promotion delegation to Europe is a clear indication of China's opposition to protectionism and its readiness to work together with Europe in tiding over the crisis," he added.     Highlighting China and Switzerland are important economic and trade partners to each other, Chen said the two economies are highly complementary.     China is highly competitive in labor-intensive products, such as garments, jewelry, footwear and containers, offering budget choice to Swiss consumers, while Switzerland boasts a distinct competitive edge in watches, medicines, measuring instruments and precision machinery.     In 2008, bilateral trade between China and Switzerland reached 11.25 billion U.S. dollars, increasing 19.2 percent despite the economic downturn. China is now Switzerland's second largest trading partner in Asia.     Leuthard said that the visit by the Chinese delegation sent a strong signal that China and Switzerland remain committed to open markets and against protectionism.     She said the agreements between Swiss and Chinese companies are "good news to our businesses."     "They signed contracts which will safeguard jobs and strengthen the cooperation between Swiss and Chinese companies in different fields in our economy," she said.     Earlier today, Leuthard and Chen signed a memorandum on the intensification of technical cooperation in the field of environmental technology.     "Switzerland and China will cooperate more strongly to ensure that economic growth can be shaped in a more sustainable and environmentally-sound manner," the Swiss government said.     To this end, a joint working group is to be established to examine the potential for cooperation in the areas of technology transfer, energy efficiency, renewable energies and the efficient use of resources. The group will submit proposals on the shape of this cooperation.     Switzerland is the second stop of the Chinese business delegation's European tour. On Wednesday, they signed 37 procurement deals worth about 11 billion euros (14 billion U.S. dollars) with local firms in Germany.     In an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday, Chen expected purchase deals with Switzerland would be modest compared with Germany due to the gap in the two countries' economic scales.     The delegation will arrive in Madrid, Spain later today and then London, the last stop. Chen said the deals to be signed there could be a more than in Switzerland.

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China should keep potential polluters away from the industry-heavy Yangtze river, the country's longest, by raising threshold and readjusting industrial layout, a political advisor said here Saturday.     "We must set quotas on and raise threshold for potential polluting plants along the Yangtze River to wipe out pollution from the roots," said Chen Qinghua, a member of the 11th National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body.     A monthly report on China's surface water quality showed the Yangtze River was slightly polluted in December 2008 and its branches suffered medium-level pollution, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.     China's sizzling economy has seen a surge of heavily polluting industries along the lower valley of the Yangtze River.     Nearly 10,000 of the 21,000 chemical companies in China are along the 6,300 km-long Yangtze River, according to Chen. More than 20 chemical industry parks were under construction.     Local governments had built more than 40,000 reservoirs along the river and its branches in a scrabble for water resources, which has further degraded Yangtze's ecological system, he said.     The government was expanding domestic demand and increase investment amid the global financial crisis, he said.     "We should take the opportunity to improve sewage treatment facilities in cities, and move faster to readjust industrial layout and structure along the river," said Chen, also chief of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), one of China's eight non-Communist parties.     China has seen a spate of industrial accidents along major rivers that disrupted water supplies in cities in recent years.     In the latest incident, at least 200,000 residents in Yancheng,a city in eastern Jiangsu Province, were deprived of tap water supply for three days last month after a chemical factory illegally dumped the disinfectant phenol into a local river.     The city mayor promised earlier this month to shut 33 of the city's 317 chemical plants to check contamination.

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang said Monday that employment and people's livelihood should be guaranteed.     Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when visiting the southern Guangdong Province, a major base for export-oriented manufacturers that had provided jobs for many migrant workers.     Li highlighted the importance of providing stable job opportunities, asking local governments to make every effort to support steady production of manufacturers and thus ensure employment.     Professional training and employment guidance should be given to job seekers, especially migrant workers, to help them maintain their incomes, said Li.     He also urged local authorities to strengthen support to enterprises and help them develop new markets and upgrade their technology.Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (2nd L, front), who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits Yantian Port in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 7, 2009. Li Keqiang paid a visit to Guangdong Province from Feb. 6 through 9.

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HONG KONG, April 12 (Xinhua) -- About 400 enterprises in the Chinese mainland had been selected to participate in the Renminbi cross-border trade settlement pilot program, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong Julia Leung said here Saturday.     Speaking on a radio talk show here Saturday, Leung said enterprises in Hong Kong would soon be able to settle trades in Renminbi through the banks with the selected companies in the Chinese mainland.     Noting the program can reduce the risks and cost arising from fluctuations in exchange rates, she said Hong Kong banks could expand extensively their Renminbi services from individual clients to enterprises.     When asked whether the scheme includes trade financing, Leung said authorities in the Chinese mainland would announce the details soon.     "The Monetary Authority has made full preparation for the program including conducting tests on the Renminbi clearing system," Leung noted, adding that "the system can start operation once the Chinese mainland comes up with the operational details."     When asked whether the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government would change Hong Kong's linked exchange rate with the U.S. dollar, the under secretary said the system had been working effectively and the HKSAR government had no plan to change it.

BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- China said it would raise benchmark retail prices of gasoline and diesel by 290 yuan (42.46 U.S. dollars) per tonne and 180 yuan per tonne, respectively, as of midnight Tuesday.     It is the second oil price adjustment this year. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, cut benchmark pump prices of gasoline and diesel by 140 yuan and 160 yuan per tonne, or 2 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, on Jan. 14.     Experts said more frequent price adjustments show China can respond more quickly to international oil price changes after a new pricing mechanism took effect Jan. 1, 2009. The combined photo taken on Mar. 24, 2009 shows the price boards before (top) and after (bottom) the adjustment, in Beijing, China. China said it would raise benchmark retail prices of gasoline and diesel by 290 yuan (42.46 U.S. dollars) per tonne and 180 yuan per tonne, respectively, as of midnight Tuesday.    Oil price fell to 53.10 U.S. dollars a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Tuesday. On the previous trading day, it settled at 53.80 U.S. dollars a barrel, the highest price since Dec. 1.     Under the new mechanism, China's domestic prices are to be "indirectly linked" to global crude prices "in a controlled manner."     "The 'indirect link' would be based upon average global crude prices, while taking into account domestic production costs, taxation, and 'appropriate profits' of oil producers," deputy director of the pricing department of the NDRC, Xu Kuning, said.     Government-set fuel prices were previously changed infrequently.     As a result, either Chinese drivers ended up paying more than those in other countries when crude prices dropped, or domestic refineries suffered huge losses when crude prices surged.     Last Dec. 18, when the international crude price dropped from a record 147 U.S. dollars a barrel to less than 40 U.S. dollars, the NDRC announced a move to cut pump prices by 900 yuan and 1,100 yuan per tonne for gasoline and diesel, respectively.     The new pricing mechanism was announced the following day and took effect at the beginning of this year.     In Tuesday's notice to raise pump prices, the NDRC urged the two state-owned oil producers, PetroChina and Sinopec, to increase oil production to meet demands.     It also urged local pricing regulators to strengthen supervision over oil prices and crack down on any price violations.     China's crude oil output reached 190 million tonnes in 2008, up2.3 percent year-on-year, the highest growth in three years, according to the China Petroleum and Chemical Association.     Imports of crude oil rose 9.6 percent year-on-year to 179 million tonnes last year, which accounted for 48 percent of total crude oil demand.

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BOGOTA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and his Colombian counterpart Francisco Santos agreed here on Monday that bilateral cooperation is to be strengthened as several agreements were signed.     During talks with Santos, Xi said China and Colombia should continue the deepening of mutual political trust and exert efforts to increase cooperation in terms of commerce and investment. Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos (R) meets with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Bogota Feb. 16, 2009.The Chinese and Colombian vice presidents signed several agreements on collaboration in fields of economy, technology and finance after the meeting.     China and Colombia, both developing countries, have achieved remarkable progress in bilateral relations, with deepening political mutual trust and widening pragmatic cooperation, Xi said. Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (2nd R Front) holds talks with his Colombian counterpart Francisco Santos (2nd L) in Bogota, capital of Colombia, Feb. 16, 2009.On the development of the bilateral relations, Xi said the peoples of China and Colombia enjoy traditional and bosom friendship and the two governments have attached great importance to the development of the bilateral ties and are determined to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.     Xi also said that the two sides, with a mutual understanding over each other's concerns, have timely exchanges of opinions on important matters of common interest.     Colombia adheres to the one-China policy over issues concerning Taiwan and Tibet, which China highly appreciates, Xi added.     Xi said that the world is experiencing complicated and profound changes, especially in such moments as the global financial crisis expands, which, according to him, should be withstood with joint efforts.     He, on behalf of the Chinese government, invited national enterprises to amplify business and investment in this South American country, and welcomed Colombia to further promote friendship and cooperation through the platform of World Expo Shanghai 2010.     Xi flew in the Colombian capital city Sunday afternoon from northern port Cartagena, where he met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on bilateral ties.     He will conclude his official visit to Colombia Monday evening and continue his six-leg tour to Venezuela.     The trip has already taken him to Mexico, Jamaica, and he will head towards Venezuela, Brazil and Malta.

MEXICO CITY, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said here Tuesday that new efforts are needed to further promote China-Mexico economic and trade cooperation amid the current global financial crisis.     Xi, who is here for a three-day official visit to Mexico, made the call in a speech at a luncheon hosted by Chinese and Mexican entrepreneurs.     Xi hailed the rapid development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, saying it plays an important role in China-Mexico ties and has brought tangible benefits to the people of both nations.     China and Mexico should make new efforts to maintain the good momentum of such cooperation in order to tackle the challenges brought by the ongoing financial crisis, he said.     To this end, Xi proposed promoting bilateral economic and trade cooperation from a strategic perspective, improving the service of both governments, promoting cooperation in key fields, bringing into full play the dominating role of enterprises, and expanding cooperation in world economic affairs.     Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Patricia Espinosa Cantellano said in her opening speech at the luncheon party that both Mexico and China are facing new challenges under the current financial situation, thus "solidarity and closer cooperation" are very important for the two countries.     She also called for more bilateral exchanges in all fields, "not only political and economical, but also social and civilian."     The luncheon party was held on the sideline of the 19th Plenary Meeting of the Mexico-China Business Committee, which was started here Tuesday and brought together representatives from big companies in Mexico and some 20 Chinese companies.     The meeting aims to boost bilateral investment and commercial exchanges between China and Mexico, according to Fernando Ruiz, technical director of the COMCE.     Ruiz said mutual investment between China and Mexico has large room for improvement.     "There are great opportunities for Chinese investors in Mexico in different sectors, like automobile, construction and energy."     In November, at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum held in Lima, Peru, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said China had offered great possibilities for his country as the global financial crisis unfolded.     Mexico registered an economic growth rate of only 1.8 percent in 2008, the second worst performance among Latin American countries after Haiti.     The United States was Mexico's largest exports destination, taking 89 percent of all its exports. But the ongoing crisis has forced the Mexican government to seek alternative markets.     In December, Mexico's Deputy Foreign Minister, Lourdes Aranda, said his country was concerned about its declining exports to the United States, and its ties with China "were very important."     According to data from the Chinese Commerce Ministry, commercial exchanges between China and Latin America grew 50.9 percent from January 2008 to January 2009.