Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing Thursday that China and Gabon should further tap into the potential of bilateral trade and economic cooperation by improving the scale and quality of such cooperation.

Wen said the two countries should further strengthen cooperation in such areas as economy, technology, trade and personnel training.

Wen made the remarks during his meeting with Gabonese President El Habj Omar Bongo Ondimba, who is in Beijing for a state visit to China.

Wen said bilateral trade and economic cooperation have enjoyed a sound basis and great future prospects. He praised Gabon as a reliable friend of China in Africa, stressing that China places importance on the development of bilateral relations with Gabon. He said China is willing to continue to push forward bilateral relations in an all-round way and on the basis of equality and mutual benefits.

Wen said China supports the reasonable requests that African countries put forward in the new round of multilateral trade talks.

He said China calls for the international community to pay more attention to the interests of African countries, play a larger role in the development of Africa and fulfill the commitment on solving the debt problems of Africa in a faster and more comprehensive manner.
 
Bongo said bilateral relations have been expanding smoothly over the years as the two sides conducted fruitful cooperation in various forms. He said the Gabonese government and people thank China for its assistance to the economic and social development of Gabon. He expressed the wish that Chinese companies will play a bigger role in the development of infrastructure in Gabon.

Bongo noted that Africa is currently troubled by continuous conflicts and existing crisis. He said Gabon and other African countries hope that China will play a bigger role in the resolution of conflicts and other issues in Africa.

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2004)