Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Cameroonian President Paul Biya to Beijing Thursday. The leaders touched on bilateral ties and witnessed the signing of a myriad of cooperation documents. Zheng Yibing has more.  

It's the first visit by an African leader to China this year, and the first state visit to Beijing since the conclusion of the Two Sessions annual political season. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya at the Great Hall of the People. President Xi said China is willing to deepen cooperation based on mutual benefit.

XI JINPING CHINESE PRESIDENT "China and Cameroon should continue to deepen high-level exchanges, including various aspects of exchanges, and continue to support each other's core values and interests. This includes expanding trade areas and collaboration in key areas."

Cameroon's leader echoed President Xi's remarks. Biya wished President Xi full success in his new term. The Cameroonian also expressed willingness to work with President Xi to strengthen existing ties and welcome future cooperative relations between the two countries.

PAUL BIYA CAMEROONIAN PRESIDENT "I hope that the relationship continues to flourish as part of a true partnership based on the principles of solidarity and mutual respect, which has stood the test of time. China's contribution has been decisive in carrying out many important projects for the economic and social development of my country. And the list of all these projects is very long."

Since China and Cameroon established diplomatic ties in 1971, bilateral cooperation has grown steadily in various fields. This counts as Biya's sixth visit to China. The two presidents agreed to understand and promote political mutual trust, and continue to support issues concerning each other's core interests and concerns. Both leaders also witnessed the signing of various cooperative documents, covering areas such as, business cooperation, infrastructure and human resources development.

ZHENG YIBING BEIJING More bilateral exchanges will be conducted during the Cameroonian president's China visit. This signals the will of both countries, to open a new chapter of socio-economic and political cooperation. Zheng Yibing, CGTN, Beijing.