Haitian President Rene Preval on Sunday met Wang Shuping, chief representative of China's trade and development office in Port-au-Prince, to express his gratitude for the Asian country's rescue and relief efforts.

The Haitian president went to the Chinese office in person to voice his appreciation of and gratitude for China's aid and assistance apart from offering his mourning for the eight Chinese who lost their lives while serving United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti during the January 12 earthquake.

"I thank the Chinese international rescue team and Chinese medical team for the help and assistance they have brought to Haiti," said the president. "The Chinese doctors have played an important role in manning the mobile clinics and treating Haitians from refugee camps."

President Preval briefed the Chinese representative on the latest development of relief and reconstruction efforts. He said that reconstruction of his country's economy would follow the emergency phase of rescuing survivors and treating the wounded.

The president wished that the Chinese enterprises would come and invest in Haiti to assist his country's post-quake reconstruction.

Wang Shuping expressed to President Preval his heartfelt sympathy for Haiti's suffering and his deepest grief over the deceased in and after the quake.

The Chinese representative briefed President Preval on China's immediate response to Haiti's quake disaster and his country's provision of emergency materials to the Haitians apart from dispatching a rescue team and a medical team to the Caribbean island state.

Wang hoped that China's aid could help the Haitians tide over the quake-caused crisis.

On bilateral relations, Wang Shuping expressed his appreciation of and gratitude for President Preval's efforts in the past years to promote relations with China. The Chinese representative wished that through mutual efforts, bilateral ties could develop further from the existing level.

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2010)