国内英语新闻:Slovenia, China want more cooperation under Belt and Road, "16+1 mechanism"

LJUBLJANA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia and China agreed on Friday to have more exchanges and cooperation as Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar met with Meng Jianzhu, the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Meng, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, spoke highly of the development of Sino-Slovenian ties which was established 25 years ago.

The Chinese side, Meng said, appreciated the stance of the Slovenian government under Prime Minister Cerar on developing closer ties with China and having more cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative and "China-CEE 16+1 mechanism".

China was willing to align its growth initiatives with those of Slovenia, and deepen cooperation in various fields including trade and tourism, so as to bring bilateral ties to a higher level, Meng said.

He also highlighted the importance of cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of the two nations. Both sides should strengthen exchange, enhance communications, and improve cooperation in fighting organized crime and terrorism. It was hoped that both sides could strengthen cooperation in fighting against telecom fraud, which was a growing crime targeting Chinese nationals, Meng added.

For his part, Cerar said the development of the Slovenian-Sino relations was maintaining good momentum, and there were notable achievements arising from cooperation in fields such as agriculture, forestry and trade.

Cerar said Slovenia, as a real partner of China, would continue supporting the Belt and Road Initiative and engaging in cooperation under the "16+1 mechanism", a platform created in April 2012 by China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.

Cerar said his government was very serious about telecom fraud targeting Chinese nationals and won't allow anyone to commit any crime on the Slovenian soil. The Slovenian side will enhance cooperation with China in fighting against telecom fraud, he added.