BRIDGETOWN - Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has met with visiting senior Chinese official Zhang Gaoli here and they discussed ways of furthering bilateral relations between the two countries.

Bilateral relations have been developing smoothly since the establishment of diplomatic ties 35 years ago, with political mutual trust strengthened and economic and trade cooperation expanded, said Zhang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges have become more frequent and the two countries have also carried out close cooperation on international affairs and in the multilateral arena, Zhang said during their meeting on Friday.

China appreciates Barbados' adherence to the one-China principle and regards Barbados as a reliable good friend and good partner, Zhang said.

Stuart thanked China for its long-term selfless assistance to Barbados and hoped the two sides would strengthen exchanges and cooperation in developing renewable energy and achieving sustainable development.

During his visit to the Caribbean island state, Zhang also met Governor-General Sir Elliott Belgrave, Senate President Kerryann F. Ifill, Speaker of the House of Assembly Michael A. Carrington, and opposition leader Owen Arthur.