President Hu Jintao and his Senegalese counterpart Abdoulaye Wade on Thursday vowed to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

 

Hu and Wade made the pledge in Berlin on the sidelines of the outreach session of the Group of Eight (G8) summit slated for Friday in Heiligendamm in northern Germany.

 

The two leaders exchanged views on the China-Senegal relations in all fields, according to an official of the Chinese delegation.

 

Senegal is "an important partner" of China on the continent of Africa, Hu said, adding that China is willing to have more cooperation with Senegal to jointly promote full implementation of decisions made at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, which was held in Beijing last year.

 

Since the resumption of diplomatic ties in October 2005, the two countries have strengthened coordination and cooperation in international affairs and witnessed rapid development of their relations, he said.

 

The Chinese president expressed appreciation of Senegal's adherence to the one-China policy.

 

Hu also lauded the Senegalese efforts in maintaining peace and promoting development in Africa.

 

For his part, Wade spoke highly of China's contribution to Africa's development, saying his country is willing to play an active and promotive role in China-Africa cooperation.

 

The Senegalese president said he is confident of the two countries' cooperation.

 

He hoped that the two sides would continue to enhance their cooperation and make it a model for the cooperation between Africa and China.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2007)