TUNIS - The Chinese government respects the choice of the Tunisian people and is willing to cement and develop the bilateral traditional friendship and the mutually-beneficial cooperation as always, a visiting Chinese diplomat said on Monday.

Beijing is also grateful to the Tunisian government for its strong support to China's recent mass evacuation of its citizens from Libya, visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun told Beji Caid-Essebsi, prime minister of the Tunisian national unity government, at their meeting.

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Zhai, who arrived in Tunisia for a visit at Monday noon, hailed the steady development of China's friendly cooperative relations with Tunisia since the two countries forged diplomatic relations in 1964.

For his part, Caid-Essebsi spoke highly of the two countries' traditional friendly cooperative relations and their fruitful cooperation in a variety of fields.

Under the new circumstances, Tunisia attaches more importance to its ties with China, and is willing to work concertedly with China to intensify exchanges at different levels and expand cooperation in a comprehensive way, the prime minister added.

The two sides also exchange views on further developing the traditional China-Tunisia friendship and expanding bilateral cooperation.

After his talks with Caid-Essebsi, Zhai also met with Radhouane Nouisser, Tunisian secretary of state to the minister of foreign affairs, and they exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern.

Tunisia has recently undergone great political changes.