NICOSIA: Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades met with visiting senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi here on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), with the two sides pledging to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Anastasiades have reached important consensus on further development of China-Cyprus relations during a recent phone conversation, and jointly decided to upgrade China-Cyprus relationship to a strategic partnership.