Chinese delegation ends visit to Ghana

ACCRA - A Chinese delegation led by Zhou Tienong, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, left here for Benin Sunday afternoon after concluding a three-day official visit to Ghana.

Zhou met with the Ghanaian Vice President John Dramani Mahama and the parliament speaker of the house Joycelyn Bamford-Addo during his visit.

China and Ghana had enhanced political mutual trust, made fruitful results in cooperation in culture, people-to-people exchange and other areas, Zhou told the Ghanaian vice president.

"We have maintained close cooperation in coordinating international affairs. And I think it is fair to say that now our bilateral relations have been developed in a fast and a stable way," Zhou added.

In his meeting with Bamford-Addo, Zhou said that since the Ghanaian President John Evans Atta Mills took office, the traditional friendship between China and Ghana marched forward.

Zhou also said that related departments in China had been working earnestly to implement the agreements reached between the Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Ghanaian counterpart Mills in last September when the Ghanaian leader visited China.

"We are waiting eagerly for the results," he said, adding that the traditional ties between the two countries should be beneficial to their peoples.

On her part, Bamford-Addo told the visiting guests that the Ghanaian parliament was committed to forging closer ties between the two countries through parliamentary associations, visits at high levels and learning from each other's experiences and practices.

Zhou and his delegation also attended the opening ceremony of the West African Representative Office of the China African Development Fund (CADFund).

Ghana is the second stop of the Chinese delegation in its three-nation African tour, which also includes Zimbabwe and Benin.