Chinese, Austrian top leaders vow stronger ties

President Xi Jinping called on Friday for heightened cooperation between China and Austria to jointly build the Belt and Road and bring their bilateral friendly strategic partnership to a new level as the two sides celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

In a message exchanged with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen for the celebration, Xi noted that the two nations have adhered to mutual respect, trust and win-win cooperation to move the bilateral relationship forward over the past 50 years.

The two sides welcomed new development opportunities in 2018 with the establishment of a bilateral friendly strategic partnership, which further strengthened political mutual trust and expanded pragmatic cooperation in various areas, he said.