Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio is on his first state visit to China, after assuming office earlier in April. Our reporter Su Yuting sat down with him earlier for his thoughts on FOCAC. President Bio said his country would like to learn from China's experience of development, take part in the Belt and Road Initiative, and enhance bilateral cooperation. Take a look.

SU YUTING BEIJING "President, good to have you on CGTN. FOCAC Bejiing Summit is the largest diplomatic activity attended by the most number of foreign leaders this year in China, following the 2006 Beijing Summit and the 2015 Johannesburg Summit. Given the uncertainty in today's world brought by the rising protectionism and unilateralism. How significant do you think this Summit will be?"

JULIUS MAADA BIO PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE "Definitely, I believe that protectionism and unilateralism has no place in the world where globalization is definitely taking a course that is irrevisable. And there are so many benefits for globalization. So for us, we want to be part of the world community. We want to be part of the world, and we want to act for benefit of a common destiny, a shared future, in which everybody will enjoy the benefit of economic development."

SU YUTING BEIJING "President Xi Jinping has also emphasized the importance that 'China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future,' What's your interpretation on that? Do you think the FOCAC Beijing Summit will help promote a closer community between China and Africa with a shared future?"

JULIUS MAADA BIO PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE "All great leaders wish the best for their country, and Africa finds itself in that same situation. The leader here has done a great job, like all the other leaders before him, to move China to the greatest of height at this moment in time. We want to make Africa and we believe Africa can get there. So we have the shared vision and a common destination. So that is my interpretation."

SU YUTING BEIJING "This year marks the 47th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sierra Leone. How do you evaluate the current China-Sierra Leone cooperation?"

JULIUS MAADA BIO PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE "China and Sierra Leone have enjoyed fruitful relationship in the past 47 years. We have lots of cooperation areas in infrastructure, health, trade and now we want to see what we can do in technology and innovation. So we are enjoying mutually beneficial relationship."

SU YUTING BEIJING "When Ebola occurred in Western Africa, China has offered aid and personnel to the epidemic area, what's your assessment of China's efforts in the fight against Ebola?"

JULIUS MAADA BIO PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE "China has been a reliable friend, a brother. And it came in handy to help us when we had Ebola virus disease. And like I said before, we did not only get financial support, we also had material support and personnel, technical personnel who worked in Sierra Leone at that time."

SU YUTING BEIJING "But some western media and western countries have accused China that it's a plunderer rather than a partner. What's your take on that? What's your reaction to those accusations of neo-colonialism?"

JULIUS MAADA BIO PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE "We know where we want to take our continent and various countries to. We are involved in a relationship that is designed to be a win-win relationship. If we did not think it was so, we wouldn't have been involved in that. So I don't subscribe to that. I know where I want to take my country. And African leaders are in the similar position."