China and Gabon upgraded bilateral relations to a community with a shared future for the new era on Friday as part of their efforts to enhance traditional friendship and pragmatic cooperation.
President Xi Jinping and Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema announced the elevation of the two countries' ties during their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Nguema started his five-day state visit to China on Tuesday, his first since taking office in May 2025. He recently visited Shanghai, where he attended the ongoing ninth China International Import Expo.
During their talks, Xi hailed the long-standing traditional friendship between China and Gabon, noting that the two countries treat each other as equals and support each other for shared development.
The China-Gabon relationship has withstood the test of a changing international landscape and remains rock-solid as ever, he said, adding that deepening the two countries' ties aligns with the common aspirations of both peoples and the broader trend of unity and self-strengthening among Global South countries.
Xi expressed China's willingness to be a reliable friend and partner of Gabon in its independent development, support its autonomy in politics, economy and diplomacy, and work together to build a China-Gabon community with a shared future for the new era.
Noting that mutual support is a distinctive feature and political advantage of China-Gabon relations, Xi emphasized that China will continue to support Gabon in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions.
China is ready to engage in close exchanges at all levels with Gabon, share experiences in party and state governance, and support it in enhancing its governance capacity, he said.
The two nations enjoy economic complementarity and have a great potential for cooperation, Xi said, calling on China and Gabon to strengthen the alignment of their development strategies and cultivate new growth drivers for collaboration.
He encouraged the Central African country to take advantage of China's zero-tariff treatment, as well as its "green channel" policy to fast-track customs clearance for African agricultural products, in order to promote Gabon's industrial development, job creation and livelihood improvement and enhance its capacity for independent economic growth.
In May, China granted zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations.
Xi noted that his vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, along with the four major global initiatives he proposed, serves the common interests of the Global South and African countries.
China supports Gabon in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with it to build a better world together, he added.
Nguema said the friendship between Gabon and China has spanned more than half a century, with strategic mutual trust always being the cornerstone of their partnership.
Cooperation between the two countries is vibrant, significantly promoting Gabon's economic diversification and improving the livelihood of its people in areas such as infrastructure, energy, healthcare, education and vocational training, he said.
Nguema emphasized that Gabon firmly adheres to the one-China principle. He congratulated the Communist Party of China on successfully holding the fifth plenary session of its 20th Central Committee, and said that Gabon looks forward to promoting party-to-party exchanges and learning from China's successful experiences in party and state governance.
Gabon is willing to further deepen pragmatic cooperation with China and welcomes more Chinese investment to aid its industrialization and sustainable development, he said.
Nguema described China-Africa cooperation as mutually beneficial and win-win, saying that the zero-tariff treatment meets the needs of African countries, allows more African products to enter China's vast market, and holds historic significance for Africa's development.
Gabon highly appreciates China's advocacy of multilateralism and its fair and just stance in international and regional affairs, Nguema said, adding that his country is willing to closely coordinate with China to strengthen Africa-China solidarity and cooperation and jointly safeguard the interests of Global South nations.
After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents in areas such as the Global Security Initiative, zero-tariff treatment, industrial and supply chains, and Chinese language education.
The two countries issued a joint statement on the building of a China-Gabon community with a shared future for the new era.
On Friday, Nguema also held separate meetings in Beijing with Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
