Beijing, 4 Apr (ZXS) -- What signals did Gabonese President Bongo's visit to China send this year?

China News Agency reporters Li Jingze and Liang Xiaohui

Beijing in the spring is showing continued attraction on the world diplomatic stage.

Since the beginning of this year, after welcoming new and old friends from Asia, Europe and South America, another old friend of the Chinese people, President Bongo of Gabon, was invited to pay a state visit to China from April 4 to 18.

As the first African head of state received by China in 2023, Bongo's visit also continued the "spring tide" of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

On the afternoon of April 4, Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Gabonese President Bongo, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Before the talks, Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan took a group photo with Bongo and his wife Sylvia. Photo by Sheng Jiapeng, reporter of China News Agency

Old friends visited, and China-Canada relations were upgraded in quality

"You are an old friend of Chinese Min, and it is a pleasure to meet you again." Chinese President Xi Jinping said this during talks with Bongo on the 19th.

The affectionate title of "old friend" brings out a special fate between President Bongo and China.

Bongo's father was Omar Bongo, the former President of Gabon, and during his tenure, China and Gabon formally established diplomatic relations in 1974. Before becoming president, Bongo visited China several times with his father or as defense minister. After becoming president, Bongo has visited China four times.

"Over the past half century, under the care and guidance of several generations of leaders of the two countries, the friendship between China and Canada has always been rock solid." Xi Jinping pointed out during his talks with Bongo.

The historical friendship was further extended during this visit. During the talks, the two heads of state decided to upgrade the China-Canada comprehensive cooperative partnership to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. This is considered to be the most important political achievement of Bongo's visit to China. The words strategic mutual trust, strategic docking and strategic coordination also continue to appear in the dialogue between the two heads of state.

Li Hongfeng, Dean of the School of Africa at Beijing University of Foreign Chinese, pointed out that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada, and the "accession" of the word "strategy" in bilateral relations means that China-Canada relations will be more cooperative in the future, including bilateral and international levels, the fields of cooperation will be more diversified and three-dimensional, and the level of cooperation will be further improved.

Strategic docking, when Chinese-style modernization meets "emerging Gabon"

"It can be said that I grew up with the great changes in China." Bongo has told Chinese media. As an old friend of Chinese people, he has witnessed China's rapid development in the past few decades, and also witnessed the mutual benefit and win-win results of strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

A high degree of "complementarity" is a prominent feature of the cooperation between the two countries. Data show that China has been Gabon's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years. Last year, China-Canada trade reached US$9.45 billion, a year-on-year increase of more than 5%. On this basis, how Bongo's visit can further promote the practical cooperation between the two countries has attracted much attention.

Strategic docking can be the key word for observation.

During the talks, Xi Jinping stressed that China is comprehensively promoting high-quality development and Chinese-style modernization, and Gabon is also actively working to achieve the strategic goal of building an "emerging Gabon" at an early date. He said that he was "willing to strengthen strategic docking with the Canadian side."

In recent years, Gabon is promoting the "emerging Gabon" strategy, which is committed to improving the business environment, becoming a hot spot for investment and promoting diversified development, and China has accumulated a lot of experience in this regard. Liu Haifang, director of the Center for African Studies at Peking University, pointed out that China's development experience can provide a reference for Gabon, and at the same time, China's capital, technology and other advantages can also help Gabon turn its resource endowment into a development dividend.

The signing of a series of specific cooperation documents has become a footnote to the strategic docking between China and Canada, including investment, agriculture, housing and urban construction, climate change and other fields. In the joint statement issued by the two countries, the expression of deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture, oil and gas, mining, forestry and fishery has also attracted widespread attention from the outside world.

Li Hongfeng believes that like the cooperation reached during the recent visit of leaders of many countries to China, China-Canada cooperation once again shows that Chinese-style modernization will bring more new opportunities to the world.

"Firm support", China once again showed its sincerity to cooperation with Africa

China-Canada friendly cooperation is a typical epitome of China-Africa friendly cooperation. Through Bongo's visit, the outside world can also see the latest announcement of China's policy towards Africa.

"In today's world, multiple challenges and crises are intertwined. China and African countries need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever. Xi Jinping pointed out during the talks.

He also put forward three "firm supports" - China firmly supports Africa to take a unique and independent development path, firmly supports Africa in promoting food security, industrialization and green development, firmly supports Africa to become an important pole of world political, economic and civilizational development, and is willing to provide new opportunities for Africa with its own new development, and build China-Africa practical cooperation into a model of South-South cooperation and international cooperation with Africa.

Li Hongfeng believes that basing itself on China and Canada and radiating China and Africa is another important declaration of China's policy toward Africa. The above-mentioned "firm support" shows China's sincere sincerity and sincere commitment to helping Africa achieve peace, security and development.

"At the same time, on the new journey of China's modernization, strengthening solidarity and cooperation with African countries will always be an important cornerstone of China's foreign policy." Li Hongfeng said.

Liu Haifang believes that Bongo's visit will further let African countries further see China's sincerity in sharing development opportunities with Africa, and further deepening cooperation between China and Africa will surely be the "trend of the times". (End)