On the morning of January 8, President Jiang Zemin met with visiting Mongolian Prime Minister Nambaryn Enkhbayar at Zhongnanhai.

Extending warm welcome to Enkhbayar, Jiang recalled his state visit to Mongolia in 1999 and the hospitality that was accorded to him during that visit. He said that he and Mongolian President Nachagyn Bagabandy reached an important consensus on the orientation for the development of Sino-Mongolian friendly relationship, and this time the prime ministers of the two countries held fruitful talks on deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in the new century. He expressed his belief that the Prime Minister's ongoing visit will promote Sino-Mongolian friendly cooperation in all fields.

Citing a Chinese saying that neighbors wish each other well just as relatives wish each other well, Jiang said that Mongolia has a vast territory with rich resources and great potential for economic development. He added that as Mongolia's good neighbor and friend, China sincerely hopes that Mongolia will keep making new achievements in its national construction and development.

Jiang said that taking a panoramic view of the development and changes in the international situation, we're still full of confidence in the world, adding that the current world international situation is on the whole peaceful, relaxing and stable, but with local wars, tension and turbulences.  He went on to say that since the September 11 incident in the United States, terrorism has become a public scourge in the world, and people of various countries are co-operating in fighting terrorism. He said that China has always been opposed to terrorism in any form and supports the United Nations' important role on this issue.  He said that terrorists are few in number and strikes on terrorism should avoid hurting the innocent.

Jiang said that China is happy to see the establishment of an interim government in Afghanistan, adding that though the road is tortuous, it is China’s sincere hope that the interim government can fully represent the interests of all nationalities in Afghanistan and ensure peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan.
　　
Thanking Jiang for meeting with him, Enkhbayar conveyed the cordial greetings from Mongolian President Bagabandy to Jiang.

Enkhbayar said that China is an important neighbor to Mongolia, and developing long-term and stable friendly cooperation with China is one of the priorities of the Mongolian foreign policy. He said that the Sino-Mongolian treaty on friendly cooperation signed in 1994 set a legal basis for developing bilateral friendly relations of cooperation, and the exchange of visits between the heads of states made clear the direction of bilateral relationship in the new century. He said that his talks with Premier Zhu Rongji went very well and mutual understanding and mutual trust have been constantly reinforced. He said that both governments have much to do and Mongolia is willing to work with China to put the positive achievements of this visit into practice so as to push the two countries' friendly cooperation to a new stage.
　　
Agreeing with Jiang’s analysis of world situation, Enkhbayar said that Mongolia is firmly opposed to terrorism, and at the same time believes that attention should be paid to dealing with the root causes of terrorism. He spoke highly of China's important contributions to world peace and stability by maintaining stability and development inside the country. He said that Mongolia expects China to play an even greater role in the international arena.