China ready to be a friend of Sao Tome and Principe

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00:32

China welcomes Sao Tome and Principe's return to the China-Africa family of friendly cooperation and it will be a reliable friend and partner to Sao Tome and Principe, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

President Xi made his remarks when meeting with Sao Tome and Principe's Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada after the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Xi pointed out that the success of the FOCAC Beijing summit strongly proves that almost all African countries are good friends of China.

Bilateral cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results since Sao Tome and Principe resumed its diplomatic relations with China in December 2016, which fully demonstrates that the resumption of diplomatic ties fully conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples, Xi added.

He also praised Prime Minister Trovoada for firmly adhering to the One-China policy and promoting friendly cooperation with China.

Xi also called for mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns and believes that bilateral relations will step up to a new stage to benefit the two peoples on the basis of the One-China principle.

Trovoada expressed warm congratulations on the success of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit and thanked China for standing firmly with the African people at all times.

This is the first time that Sao Tome and Principe has participated in the summit. Trovoada said Sao Tome and Principe looks forward to working with all parties to contribute to building a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

Sao Tome and Principe's prime minister also agreed with President Xi that the resumption of bilateral diplomatic ties is entirely correct.

He reaffirmed Sao Tome and Principe's commitment to the One-China principle and hopes to deepen the two sides' win-win cooperation.