President Hu Jintao arrived in Monrovia, capital of Liberia, on
Thursday for a one-day state visit to the western African
state.
Hu paid the visit as guest of his Liberian counterpart Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf, who hosted a ceremony in honor of Hu at the
airport.
Hu and Johnson-Sirleaf will hold official talks to discuss ways
of expanding friendly cooperation between China and Liberia.
In a written statement issued at the airport upon his arrival,
the Chinese president said that Liberia is an important country in
West Africa.
Committed to peace, stability and national reconciliation,
reconstruction and development, the Liberian government and people
follow the policy of good-neighborliness and friendship and are
engaged in all-round diplomacy, making gratifying achievements, Hu
said.
On bilateral ties, he said the Chinese and Liberian peoples have
always enjoyed friendship. In recent years, thanks to the joint
efforts of both sides, the relations have grown fast and the
cooperation in various fields has completely resumed and yielded
marked results.
The Liberian president paid a state visit to China and attended
the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation last
November. Hu described Johnson-Sirleaf's Beijing trip as "taking
the bilateral ties to a new level."
In addition to the talks, Hu is scheduled to meet with other
Liberian leaders. He will also unveil a malaria prevention center
and inspect Chinese servicemen now serving as United Nations
peacekeeping troops in Liberia.
Bilateral ties have developed well since the two countries
resumed the diplomatic relations in October 2003. The two sides
have forged mutual political trust, respect and support,
accelerated economic and trade cooperation and maintained close
coordination on international affairs.
China firmly supports Liberia's peace process and economic
reconstruction and appreciates its adherence to the one-China
policy.
Hu, who arrived here from Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, is
on an eight-nation tour of Africa that will also take him to Sudan,
Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and the Seychelles.
On an earlier occasion, the Chinese president described his
Africa trip as "a journey of friendship and cooperation."
He said that his current visit to African countries is aimed at
consolidating the traditional friendship between China and Africa,
implementing the agreements reached at the Beijing Summit,
enlarging substantial cooperation and promoting common
development.
At the Beijing Summit, leaders of China and 48 African countries
agreed to establish and develop a new type of strategic
partnership, featuring political equality and mutual trust,
economic win-win cooperation and cultural exchanges.
(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2007)
