A contingent of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Support Base in Djibouti attended a military parade marking the 64th anniversary of Cote d'Ivoire's independence on Wednesday in Abidjan, the country's economic capital.
President of Cote d'Ivoire Alassane Ouattara arrived at the parade site at 9:30, and the parade commenced after the salute was fired. The parade featured contingents from the army, navy, air force, gendarmerie and police, comprising both marching columns and equipment columns. The parade involved more than 5,000 personnel in total.
At the invitation of the Ministry of Defense of Cote d'Ivoire, 53 officers and soldiers from the PLA Support Base in the country attended the military parade.
"It is a happy and exciting day for me to witness the performance of the PLA Navy Guard of Honor at the National Day Parade in Cote d'Ivoire. We're very proud," said a local Chinese.
"Participating in the military parade to celebrate the 64th anniversary of Cote d'Ivoire's independence allowed the Chinese military to showcase its image as a peaceful, powerful and civilized force to the people of Cote d'Ivoire and representatives from other countries in attendance. It also reflects China's emphasis on developing bilateral relations, consolidating and deepening the traditional friendship between the two countries and the two militaries," said Tan Jia, China's PLA task force commander.
"PLA's participation in the military parade demonstrates the outstanding relationship between Cote d'Ivoire and China, and we have a responsibility to keep the long-standing friendship between our two countries going strong," said Tene Birahima Ouattara, Ivorian Minister of Defense.
The diplomatic ties between Cote d'Ivoire and China were established in 1983, and bilateral cooperation between the two countries various fields has been continually strengthened since then.
PLA contingent attends Cote d'Ivoire's independence military parade
PLA contingent attends Cote d'Ivoire's independence military parade
