China and Niger are good friends and partners in terms of mutual trust and win-win cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping said while meeting with his Nigerien counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou on Friday, ahead of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). 

The two sides should maintain close exchanges and continue to support each other in major issues of concerns, Xi noted. 

He said that China is willing to expand cooperation with Niger in fields such as medical care, infrastructure construction, energy and transportation. 

China firmly supports the efforts of maintaining national security and stability in Niger, said the Chinese president, adding that China will continue to support the G5 Sahel Joint Force, a regional development and security framework in West Africa. 

Niger is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with China and maintain close communication in major international and African regional affairs, Issoufou said.