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CHINA> National
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President Hu arrives in Riyadh for state visit
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-10 21:19
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters last Tuesday that Hu's visit is aimed at further consolidating China's friendship and cooperation with these countries, strengthening China's cooperation with the GCC, and promoting the implementation of the measures announced at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in November 2006. "It is believed that the visit will promote the in-depth development of China-Saudi Arabia strategic friendly relations and the China-Africa new strategic partnership and further consolidate the China-Africa traditional friendship," Jiang said. Enhancing solidarity and cooperation with African countries has always been an important component of China's independent foreign policy of peace. "The past year witnessed significant progress in China-Africa relations. Both sides maintained high-level exchanges and deepened strategic mutual trust," Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said in an interview with Xinhua last month. He said that the eight policy measures of pragmatic cooperation with Africa announced by President Hu at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in November 2006 were carried out steadily. Official figures show that the China-Africa trade volume hit an all time high in 2008, reaching 106.8 billion U.S. dollars. "The year 2009 is an important year for China-Africa relations to continue to move forward and will create new development opportunities for the bilateral ties. The Chinese leaders will continue to take the development of relations with Africa as a top priority of Chinese diplomacy," the minister.
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