BRASILIA, July 16 -- Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed his hope that China's relations with Brazil and Latin America can be further strengthened.

Xi made the appeal in a speech delievered at the National Congress of Brazil during his state visit to the Latin American country.

FRIENDS AND PARTNERS

Hailing the longtime friendship between China and Brazil, Xi mentioned the Chinese tea farmers who traveled to Brazil some 200 years ago to teach local people about tea planting techniques.

"The immense Pacific ocean cannot block the two peoples' friendly exchanges, even though they are far apart geographically," Xi said.

Since China and Brazil forged diplomatic ties in 1974, their relationship has become "more solid and maturer," he noted.

Brazil is China's first strategic partner among developing countries, and the first Latin American nation to forge a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, he added.

The two countries regard each other as important cooperation partner, and their relationship has become a paradigm of South-South cooperation, he added.

China has been Brazil's largest trading partner for five years in a row, while Brazil has been China's largest trading partner in Latin America and an important investment destination, Xi said.

The two sides cooperate not only in traditional areas like economy and trade, but also in high-tech fields including regional planes, deep water oil exploitation and bio-technology, said the Chinese president.

The two countries, within some international and regional frameworks, also maintain close contact and coordination on global governance, sustainable development, climate change and information security, he added.

DEEPENING STRATEGIC MUTUAL TRUST

Stressing that both China and Brazil are major influential developing countries and emerging-market economies with broad prospects, Xi said the two-way ties are gaining greater global prominence.

As the two nations are marking 40 years of diplomatic ties this year, it should be a new start for furthering the comprehensive strategic partnership, he said.

To that end, Xi first proposed that China and Brazil should make continued efforts to deepen strategic mutual trust, understand and support each other on major issues concerning the other's core interests such as sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

"There is not a one-size-fits-all development model," Xi said, noting that the two countries should firmly support each other to adhere to a development path in line with its own national conditions, strengthen strategic dialogues and exchange experiences in governance.

The Chinese leader also urged the two sides to keep the good momentum of high-level exchanges, and carry out closer contacts between governments, legislative bodies, political parties, as well as exchanges on local levels.