(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-14 08:54

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers from China and the United States have agreed that inter-parliamentary exchanges between legislative bodies of the two countries have achieved positive results and played a positive role in facilitating mutual understanding, narrowing differences, building consensus, enhancing mutual trust and strengthening cooperation.

The lawmakers, who met in working sessions here from Wednesday to Thursday, also had in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relationship and other issues of mutual concern and reached agreement on the arrangement of a meeting next year under a parliamentary exchange mechanism between China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the US Congress.

Lu Congmin, vice-chairman of the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee, led a working group for the working sessions. The working group met nearly two dozens of US lawmakers over the past three days, including Senators Daniel Inouy and Ted Stevens, and Representatives Joseph Crowley and Donald Manzullo.

Inouy and Stevens are in charge of the dialogue mechanism between the Senate and the NPC. Crowley and Manzullo are in charge of a parallel mechanism from the House of Representatives.

During the interactions, the Chinese side said that the establishment of the parliamentary exchange mechanism was the result of common efforts and both sides should work to further consolidate and strengthen the mechanism for the development of the constructive cooperation between the two countries.

The US side said that dialogues conducted under the exchange mechanism have drawn the participation of more and more US lawmakers since its establishment in January of 2004. Apart from regular meetings, the US lawmakers said, both sides could also hold various seminars for more substantial results.

Chinese and US lawmakers have so far held four meetings under the parliamentary exchange mechanism. The 5th meeting will be held in China next year.