China's FM in Rwanda to boost relations between the two countries

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Saturday, in a move that is set to boost bilateral relations between the two countries.

Wang is on a four-day trip in Africa, where he will also visit Angola, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe.

In a statement at President Kagame's statehouse, Wang described his delight with the meeting.

Top of the agenda for talks was to consult and exchange with the president on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

"The Foreign Minister of China has been here since last night, we have had very good discussions since this morning. First at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and just now he [Wang Yi] met President Kagame," Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, told CGTN.

He added, "China is a very special partner of Rwanda. The visit of the minister today signifies that our countries are moving even further forward."

China continues to cooperate with Rwanda in a range of sectors, including health, education, agriculture and infrastructure.

James Musoni, Rwanda's Minister of Infrastructure, said that the meeting suggested a new phase of China-Rwanda relations. "You can say that our cooperation is reaching a new level in terms of good cooperation, in terms of consultations and enhancing party-to-party relationships. I would rank it as a very high level of enhancement of cooperation and our relations."

Cooperation between China and Africa has grown significantly over the last two decades, signified by the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Following a technical meeting in November 2017, it was decided that the next FOCAC meeting would be elevated to a Heads of State summit to be held in Beijing in September 2018.

Wang noted that the FOCAC is an important channel for conducting collective dialogue and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Africa, as this is the largest and the most productive platform for the 29 member countries of the South-South cooperation.

Wang arrived in Rwanda on Friday and is set to depart on Saturday for Angola.