China, Sierra Leone pledge to boost cooperation

FREETOWN, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio met with senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi here Monday, with the two sides pledging to boost bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings to Bio during the meeting.

Yang said the two leaders have held a phone conversation and exchanged messages of congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sierra Leone, reaching important consensuses on consolidating mutual political trust and deepening cooperation in various fields.

At the just-concluded the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Xi has made important proposals on building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era and announced a series of major measures, which manifested China's sincere willingness to further strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries, Yang noted.

Yang said China is willing to work with Sierra Leone to implement the FOCAC initiatives, coordinate the agreements of the conference with Sierra Leone's demand for development, and further boost cooperation in fields including pandemic fight, agriculture, fishery, education, and infrastructure, helping Sierra Lone to fight against the pandemic and recover its economy.

China is willing to work together with Sierra Leone to further deepen the coordination and cooperation in the United Nations and other multilateral institutions, safeguard the common interests of China and Africa, and of other developing countries, and defend multilateralism and norms of international relations.

For his part, Bio asked Yang to convey his best wishes to Xi and extended warm congratulations on the success of the sixth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC.

Bio said China has made significant contributions to the peace and development of the world and set an example for developing countries.

The president stated that Sierra Leone firmly upholds the one-China principle and supports the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Bio said Sierra Leone and China have developed a profound traditional friendship and strong political mutual trust, and the two sides have seen fruitful cooperation and promising prospects, adding that Sierra Leone is grateful to China's firm support in its fight against the Ebola virus, the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies.

Sierra Leone warmly welcomes the new initiatives on China-Africa cooperation announced by Xi at the opening ceremony of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC, said Bio, adding that Sierra Leone is willing to enhance the bilateral cooperation under the framework of the FOCAC, further boost coordination on multilateral affairs, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of China and Africa, and of the developing countries.

Yang also met with Sierra Leone's Minister of Foreign Affairs &International Cooperation David J. Francis on Monday.