Foreign and Military Affairs

China, Mali celebrate 50th anniversary of bilateral ties

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-25 10:37

BEIJING - Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Malian counterpart, Amadou Toumani Toure, on Monday exchanged messages of congratulations to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties.

In the message, Hu said the friendship between China and Mali traces back a long time. Mali was one of the first countries in the sub-Sahara region in Africa to set up diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China.

Over the past half century, the people of China and Mali had gone through hardships together and forged a solid friendship by treating each other with sincerity, Hu said.

Bilateral cooperation in various fields had been fruitful, he said.

Both are developing nations, China and Mali are at their important period of development, he said.

Hu said China attached great importance to China-Mali relations and was ready to make joint efforts with Mali to strengthen friendly exchanges, expand practical cooperation and better benefit the two countries and the two peoples.

Toure said that, during the past 50 years, Sino-Malian bilateral relations had been steadfastly developed and had been considered as an edifying example of accordance, solidarity and common development.

Mali would join China to firmly dedicate to elevating the friendly cooperative relationship to a new high, Toure said.

On the same day, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Malian counterpart, Moctar Ouane, also extended congratulatory messages.