Beijing, August 19th—Lu Kang, Vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today on the morning with Wolf Dietrich Heim, Austrian Ambassador to China. 

Lu noted that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Austria. Guided by the strategic leadership of the leaders of the two countries, ChinaAustria relations have maintained sound and steady growth. China stands ready to work with Austria to uphold mutual respect, mutual trust, openness, inclusiveness and winwin cooperation, and elevate the ChinaAustria friendly strategic partnership to new heights. The IDCPC is ready to step up communication and exchanges with major Austrian political parties to deepen mutual understanding and trust between China and Austria. 

Wolf Dietrich Heim said, Austria attaches great importance to the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. He expressed the hope to boost exchanges and cooperation across the board, including political party, economy and trade, peopletopeople and cultural engagement through highlevel exchanges, so as to continuously enrich the connotation of bilateral relations. 

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common interest.