Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday met with Guinean President Alpha Conde ahead of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), calling for the maintenance of close coordination on issues such as upholding  multilateral trade and security in Africa.

Guinea, the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to establish diplomatic relations with China 59 years ago, have maintained sound and stable ties.

In recent years, the China-Guinea comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has developed rapidly.

"China is willing to work with Guinea to jointly build the Belt and Road in the new era and turn the two countries' friendship into more achievements in cooperation," Chinese president said.

Conde said that next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Guinea. "Guinea attaches great importance to participating in the Belt and Road construction and hopes to promote energy and telecommunications cooperation, facilitating Africa's industrialization," he added.

African countries speak highly of China's important ideas and leadership in international relations and the upcoming FOCAC will be a great success, pushing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Africa and China to a new level, the Guinean president noted.

The two heads of state also jointly witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents.