SKOPJE, Mar.30 -- President Stevo Pendarovski and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Republic of North Macedonia met respectively with the visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe in Skopje on March 30.

Pendarovski said during the meeting that North Macedonia and China share mutual trust and enjoy friendly bilateral relations, North Macedonia firmly supports the one-China policy and has full confidence in joining efforts to build the Belt and Road Initiative with China.

Pendarovski added that North Macedonia appreciates China's great achievements in the fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic and thanks China for its anti-pandemic assistance to North Macedonia.

He looks forward the two countries will carry out more frequent and in-depth exchanges and cooperation after the recovery of the world from the pandemic.

Zaev said that since independence, North Macedonia has received great support and assistance from China, for which it is deeply grateful. The two countries enjoy huge potential for cooperation, Northern Macedonia hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of economy, trade, investment, infrastructure, defense and security and push forward the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.

During the meetings, Wei briefed the North Macedonian side of China's pandemic prevention and control situation, economic and social development and China-US relations, and expounded China’s principled positions on Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

He said that China appreciates North Macedonia's firm adherence to the one-China policy and hopes that North Macedonia will continue to provide support to China on issues concerning China's core interests.

China is ready to work with North Macedonia to make full use of the Belt and Road Initiative and the "17+1 Cooperation" （Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries）to deepen practical cooperation and achieve mutual benefit and common development, Wei added.

He stressed that the Chinese military attaches great importance to developing relations with the North Macedonian military, and is committed to deepening exchanges and cooperation to promote in-depth and solid military-to-military relations between the two countries.

Wei held talks with his North Macedonian counterpart Radmila Sekerinska on the same day, the two sides had in-depth exchange of views on bilateral and military-to-military relations as well as international and regional security situation.