Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila (2nd R) meets with Chinese Ambassador to Romania Xu Feihong (1st L) in Bucharest, Romania, Feb. 14, 2018. Viorica Dancila on Wednesday emphasized the desire of her government to intensify the political dialogue and strengthen the economic cooperation with China. (Xinhua)

BUCHAREST, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Wednesday emphasized the desire of her government to intensify the political dialogue and strengthen the economic cooperation with China.

Romania's new government attached great importance to developing relations with China and is willing to actively push forward pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, so as to achieve concrete results and enrich the connotation of their partnership, Dancila told Chinese Ambassador to Romania Xu Feihong in their first official meeting at the Government headquarters.

Dancila said that Romania supported the Belt and Road Initiative and cooperation under the "16+1 mechanism", hoping both sides would further tap the potentials and take substantive steps in the cooperation in areas such as energy, infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and culture.

According to her, transport and energy will be important parts of bilateral cooperation.

In the field of transport, Dancila expressed Romania's interest in cooperating with China in road infrastructure, shipping and air transport projects. While in the energy sector, she mentioned the cooperation between the two countries in the area of nuclear energy.

The Belt and Road Initiative aims to achieve policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity along and beyond ancient Silk Road trade routes, thus building a new platform for international cooperation to create new drivers of growth.

The "16+1" mechanism, or the China-Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) cooperation framework, is a platform created in April 2012 by China and 16 CEE countries.

The Chinese ambassador, for his part, said that the new era requires new measures and new bright spots in bilateral relations. Major energy cooperation projects between the two countries are at a crucial stage and need to be promoted.

He stressed that China is ready to work with Romania to carry out pragmatic cooperation and to bring substantial benefits to the two peoples.

Dancila also extended her Chinese New Year greetings to Chinese people, wishing them prosperity and happiness in the Year of the Dog, which begins on Feb. 16.