Cai Qi, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with visiting Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh in Beijing on Monday.
Cai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, said that over the 45 years since China and Djibouti established diplomatic relationship, the two countries have always treated each other equally, respected and supported each other, setting a good example of solidarity and cooperation in the Global South.
He said that the decision jointly made by President Xi Jinping and President Guelleh to elevate bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership will chart the course for future development of the bilateral relations.
Guided by important consensus reached by the two heads of state, China stands ready to constantly deepen political and strategic mutual trust, expand practical cooperation in various fields, strengthen coordination on regional issues and push for new outcomes in bilateral cooperation, Cai said.
Guelleh said Djibouti admired the CPC for leading the Chinese people to make world-renowned achievements, and he sincerely thanked China for its assistance to Djibouti's economic and social development.
He expressed his country's willingness to focus on the new positioning of bilateral relations and further expand bilateral practical cooperation in various fields, so as to better benefit the two peoples.
Guelleh, who arrived in Beijing on Monday, will attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled for Sept 4 to 6 in the Chinese capital. He has paid ten visits to China, with the last one in 2019 for the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Senior CPC official meets Djiboutian president
At the final day of the 47th WorldSkills Competition in the French city of Lyon, the race for medals heated up, with participants from roughly 70 nations showing their mettle.
Formerly known as the International Vocational Training Organization, WorldSkills is an international charity, which organizes national championships for vocational skills. Every two years, the organization hosts a competition, attracting competitors from around the world.
This year's competition ran from Wednesday to Saturday, with the closing ceremony on Sunday. The event brought together approximately 1,400 participants from nearly 70 countries and regions to compete in 59 skill categories spanning vocations ranging from artwork to welding.
China sent 68 participants to participated in 59 different disciplines.
Teams say it is a collaborative environment, but winning gold can help make their professional career's sparkle.
"I think it's for their career, for the whole of their life. And then they can join this field and they can have a very good start of their journey, their life," said Zou Ningxin, a jewelry expert of Team China.
Medals may be up for the grabs but the goal of the biannual Workskills Expo is also for crowds here to draw inspiration.
This event is designed to give people a little taste of different parts of the working world and what ingredients are needed to be successful in a chosen career.
The expo also gives delegations the opportunity to learn from one another.
"They're able to come here and see how they match up against other countries. It's a benchmarking system as well as an individual assessment of the competitors who are representing their nation," said Shawna Bourke, director of Marketing and Communications of the WorldSkills International.
This biannual event is seen as an opportunity to try and address shared problems like water pollution.
"Urban water sewage treatment and industrial water reuse are the fundamental ways to solve this problem. So water technology is very important today," said Wang Zhan, water technology expert of Team China.
Several days of tough competition culminates in a medal ceremony. And the hope is that these competitors will inspire a new generation of skilled workers to come out of the woodwork.
Shanghai is scheduled to play host to the competition's 48th edition in September 2026.
Race for medals heats up on last day of 47th WorldSkills Competition
