Cyprus and China issued a joint statement on the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations as the two countries agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership.
Upgrading ties could see direct flights from China, increased investment, plus more student and trade exchanges.
An official statement said: “President of China Xi Jinping and the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades had a telephone conversation on Tuesday where both sides spoke highly of the positive momentum of the development of China-Cyprus relations.
“The two Presidents fully acknowledged the positive progress made in the mutual political trust, practical cooperation in various fields and collaboration on multilateral affairs between China and Cyprus over the past 50 years.
“Recognizing the immense rising significance in the bilateral relations, the two Presidents agreed to elevate relations to a Strategic Partnership, creating the conditions for a very fruitful cooperation in the political, social and economic areas.”
According to the joint statement, both sides reaffirmed their respect for each other’s choice on the development path and domestic and foreign policies based on their national conditions.
Cyprus reaffirmed its steadfast adherence to the One-China Principle.
And China will continue to support the efforts of Nicosia in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity and support a just and lasting solution to the Cyprus Problem.
At the same time, both sides agreed to enhance high-level exchanges and maintain frequent exchange of views on regional and international issues.
The two sides will make good use of existing bilateral mechanisms, including diplomatic consultation, Joint Economic Committee, Joint Scientific and Technological Committee, to coordinate and advance bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Both sides expressed a willingness to actively promote the mutual market access of high-quality food and agricultural products and encourage their business sectors to utilize all available platforms to promote more cooperation.
The two sides exchanged views on enhancing cooperation in higher education to increase the number of student exchanges in both countries.
Furthermore, the two sides agreed to examine the possibility of regular direct flight connection between the two countries.
They also agreed to further strengthen cooperation on judicial and law enforcement issues and matters of extradition and judicial assistance.
Cyprus believes that the EU and China should promote dialogue and cooperation on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results.
