Facebook's co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a meeting with top Communist leader Liu Yunshan in Beijing on Saturday, as the tech-mogul continues to warm up to China - one of the few countries where Facebook is banned owing to government control.

Liu Yunshan, who sits on the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee - China's top decision-making body -, showered praises on Facebook's technology and management methods, Xinhua reported.

Like Us on Facebook

"China hopes (Facebook) can strengthen exchanges, share experiences and improve mutual understanding with China's Internet companies", Liu said.

 Zuckerberg is currently in Beijing to participate in China Development Forum, a state sponsored conference that serves as a platform for top business leaders and the country's political elite.  

Mark Zuckerberg has been trying hard to woo China's leadership in a bid to open up the country's market for Facebook. Google and Twitter, who are also banned in mainland China, are also working towards the same end.

Zuckerberg has been actively trying to bring Facebook back to China, even going out of his way to learn Mandarin to connect with Chinese people. Zuckerberg's wife Priscilla Chan, an American-Chinese, has also played a role in helping her husband to connect with the Chinese people.   

China is home to the largest number of internet users in the world (almost 700 million). Experts say Zuckerberg cannot afford to take his eyes off the lucrative Chinese market if Facebook has to keep growing. 

Chinese leaders, however, seem to be in no rush to budge from their hard-line policy over foreign internet companies. Earlier this year, China introduced new rules for online publishing companies. Experts have noted that these rules may make it more tough for foreign online companies to operate in China.

According to the new rules, online content publishers must "promote core socialist values" that are in line with the Chinese culture and promote the economic development of the nation.

TagsMark Zuckerberg, china, Mark Zuckerberg in China, Facebook in China