By Anadolu Staff
ISTANBUL (AA) - China is prepared to strengthen its long-standing ties with the West African country of Guinea, expand mutual support, and advance cooperation that benefits both sides, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong said.
Liu, a top member of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, made the comments during his Monday-to-Wednesday visit to Guinea at the government’s invitation. He also attended the inauguration of the Simandou iron ore project as President Xi Jinping’s special representative, according to an official website.
During the trip, Liu met with Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya for talks on bilateral ties and cooperation. He conveyed President Xi’s greetings, praised Guinea’s economic and social progress, and congratulated the country on the swift completion of the Simandou mining project.
Simandou is expected to make Guinea a leading iron ore exporter, supported by a 600-kilometer (373-mile) railway connecting the mine to the Atlantic coast.
Liu underlined the project as the fruit of nearly 70 years of friendship and cooperation between China and Guinea, as well as between China and Africa, saying that it will play a vital role in advancing Guinea's economic development and the implementation of its Simandou 2040 strategic plan.
During last year’s Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Xi had a successful meeting with Doumbouya, which charted the course for the future development of bilateral relations, said the Chinese vice premier.
Noting that the Communist Party Central Committee has drawn up a blueprint for China's development over the next five years, Liu said China is willing to build on its long-standing friendship with Guinea, enhance mutual support, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, fully implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, and join hands to advance modernization.
Guinea sees its ties with China as strategic, values their long-standing friendship, and welcomes more Chinese investment, pledging support for broader cooperation, Doumbouya said, adding that Guinea is ready to deepen international cooperation with China and defend shared sovereignty and development interests. Liu also attended the signing and unveiling of the China–Africa Joint Medical Center in Guinea.