Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Gambian President Adama Barrow, who is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The two leaders jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

Xi pointed out that in recent years, China-Gambia relations have continued to make positive progress, with mutual political trust increasingly consolidating and pragmatic cooperation continuously promoted.

The Chinese president called on the two sides to continue to firmly support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, consolidate and maintain the friendship and mutual trust between the two countries to ensure steady and sustained growth of China-Gambia relations.

Xi said he is glad that China's aid and cooperation projects have improved the lives of the Gambian people, adding China is willing to work with the Gambian side to take the implementation of the 2024 FOCAC summit's outcomes as an opportunity to promote more achievements in bilateral cooperation and help the Gambia's economic growth and improve people's livelihood. 

China will continue to send medical teams to the Gambia, support the development of Chinese language education in the western African country, and encourage more young Gambian people to come to China for exchanges, Xi announced.

He also congratulated the Gambia on successfully hosting the 15th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit Conference, saying China is ready to deepen cooperation with the Gambia and the OIC.

Barrow said he was glad to come to China to attend the FOCAC Beijing summit and was fascinated by the friendly enthusiasm of the Chinese people and the beauty and prosperity of Beijing. 

Noting China always acts on its words, Barrow said he believes that China means hope and future and that only by deepening cooperation with China can the Gambia achieve national development. 

He added that the Gambia is willing to be a loyal friend of China and hopes to enrich the relationship between the two countries and deepen cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, people-to-people exchanges and other areas.  

Barrow noted that the Gambia firmly adheres to the one-China policy, is willing to work closely with China on multilateral cooperation, and will continue to support China's position on human rights and other issues.