China is ready to work with Iceland to upgrade bilateral ties to a new level on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit, said Zhao Hongzhu, a member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and deputy head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Zhao held separate meetings with Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson, Parliament Speaker Unnur Bra Konradsdottir and Minister for Foreign Affairs Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson.

At the meetings, Zhao introduced Chinese President Xi Jinping's new ideas on governance philosophy and the Chinese Communist Party's tasks to comprehensively strengthen its discipline.

The relations between China and Iceland have been developing in a heathy and stable way since the two countries established diplomatic ties 46 years ago, Zhao said.

In recent years, China and Iceland conducted close high-level exchanges and deepened political trust as well as fruitful cooperation in the fields of trade, finance, science and technology, geothermal energy, ocean, Arctic issues and culture, he said.

The Icelandic side said it is very crucial for Iceland to cooperate with China and they attach great importance to China's status and role.

China's development is an important opportunity for Iceland and the Nordic island country is willing to strengthen the two countries' all-round cooperation, the Icelandic officials said.

The officials also thanked China for its much-needed help when Iceland was hit by its financial crisis.

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