China, Congo celebrate 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-21 10:37

BEIJING -- A reception was held here Friday to mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Republic of Congo.

The reception was jointly hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Chinese-African People's Friendship Association and the Republic of Congo embassy in China.

Feng Zuoku, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said China and the Republic of Congo, as traditional friendly countries, have witnessed stable development of bilateral ties in the past 45 years.

The two countries have made marked achievements in trade and economic cooperation and have made positive progress in cooperation in the fields of education, health care and tourism, Feng said. The two countries have cooperated with and supported each other in international affairs.

He expressed thanks for the Republic of Congo government's adherence to the one-China principle and its support to China on human rights issues.

Charge d'affaires of the Republic of Congo to China Rigobert Itoua expressed thanks for China's assistance to the Republic of Congo and other African countries, and conveyed friendly greetings of his country to the Chinese people.

China and the Republic of Congo established diplomatic relations on Feb. 22, 1964. Since then, China has provided the Republic of Congo with more than 100 million U.S. dollars in economic assistance and helped build a dozen projects, including the parliament building, a stadium and a power station.