SAN SALVADOR, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's reform and opening-up has contributed to global development, a Salvadoran official has said.

China "has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and built a modern, moderately prosperous society ... practices a policy of peace and cooperation with the rest of the world," said Sigfrido Reyes, head of the state-run export and investment promotion agency Proesa, in a recent interview.

Reyes, ex-president of the Legislative Assembly, said China's path to change allows the country to overcome in four decades the problems it had grappled with for hundreds of years.

"My first trip to China was 24 years ago, when the reform and opening-up were just beginning to bear fruit. Since then, I have traveled to China frequently, and each time I have found new progress, new results, the overcoming of many problems that had plagued the Chinese society for centuries," said Reyes.

The goals of the reform and opening-up launched in 1978 have been achieved to a large degree, he said.

It took "the efforts and the work of several generations to convert China into what it is today: a society that is advanced in all aspects -- technology, economy, finance, culture, science -- and that plays a positive role in international relations," Reyes said.

El Salvador established diplomatic ties with China in August, a move that has raised awareness at home of China's growing role in global issues, especially in trade, investment and financial stability, he said, adding that the world will benefit from China's progress.

In contrast to the protectionist measures employed by some countries today, which benefited no one, China is embracing multilateralism and international norms through opening-up, he said.

He said the first ever China International Import Expo, held in Shanghai in November, offered global exporters a unique opportunity to boost business by courting China's vast consumer market, and highlighted the Asian country's willingness to help drive world economic growth.

"Holding the annual import fair is a clear sign that behind those words is a real willingness to forge ahead with the opening-up," said Reyes.