On the afternoon of April 3, 2003, President Hu Jintao met with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma at the Great Hall of the People, where they had a friendly talk.

Hu said that the overall Sino-Ukrainian friendship and cooperation advocated by President Jiang Zemin and President Kuchma have advanced smoothly and that bilateral cooperation in various fields has scored continuous progress as a result of joint efforts in the past 11 years of bilateral diplomatic ties. China appreciates Ukraine's support for China on such issues as Taiwan. Calling Ukraine a good friend and partner of China in central and eastern Europe, Hu said China's new leadership will spare no effort to further bilateral relations, support Ukraine's efforts to safeguard its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, understand and respect the country's development path and domestic and foreign policies developed in accordance with its own circumstances and support Ukraine's positive role in international and regional affairs.

They also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. On the Iraq issue, President Hu noted that China has always held that international disputes should be resolved by political means and has always been opposed to the use or threat of force in international affairs. China is deeply concerned about the many civilian casualties and the grave humanitarian problems resulting from the war in Iraq. He called on the international community to put a stop to the war against Iraq and appealed for a return to the right path of resolving the Iraq issue through political means.

Congratulating Hu on his being elected Party General Secretary and Chinese President, Kuchma said Ukraine attaches great importance to its friendship and cooperation with China and has high regard for China's constructive role in current international affairs. He pledged that Ukraine will continue to adhere unswervingly to the one-China policy and that it will be China's trust-worthy friend forever.

Kuchma said bilateral economic and trade relations have progressed smoothly in the past few years given that the two economies enjoy high complementarity and great potential. Ukraine will make concrete efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in economics, trade, science, technology and education.

Agreeing with Hu on his appraisal of bilateral relations, Kuchma said Ukraine advocates a multi-polar world and peaceful settlement of international disputes, adding that this approach is conducive to world peace and development.