China's top legislator Zhao Leji met in Beijing on Friday with President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, who is in the Chinese capital to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
At the meeting, Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, recalled that the FOCAC summit has elevated the overall definition of China-Africa relations to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
Under the guidance of the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, China is willing to deepen bilateral cooperation with the Republic of the Congo, enrich the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and jointly implement the ten partnership action plans unveiled at the FOCAC summit, Zhao said.
The NPC of China is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the parliament of the Republic of the Congo and learn from each other's experience in legislation and supervision, according to Zhao.
Also speaking at the meeting, Sassou Nguesso said the Republic of the Congo is ready to work with China to implement the outcomes of the FOCAC summit, strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and promote joint efforts of Global South countries to advance modernization hand-in-hand.
Sassou Nguesso laid a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes at Tian'anmen Square at noon on Friday.
The three-day FOCAC summit, which opened on Wednesday, is the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders.
Themed "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," the event aims to strengthen friendship and outline future cooperation between the two sides.
China's top legislator meets president of Republic of Congo
The ongoing China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) has attracted scores of new participants this year, with repeat participants also making their mark at the fair.
Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," the trade fair, opened in China's capital city Beijing on Thursday and runs till Monday.
The CIFTIS is becoming more and more international, with a total of 36 Belt and Road partners showcasing their products.
Tharaka Dissanayake who works at the Sri Lankan Embassy in China has participated in the fair many times. He came to promote tea culture this time and believes that tea culture can better strengthen cooperation and exchanges between the two countries.
"For any commodity, it's a huge market. Obviously, this is one of the greatest platforms close to the Chinese consumer, to introduce ourselves, introduce our products, whatever the services or innovation," said Abeysekara, third secretary of the Sri Lankan Embassy in China.
An old friend of the fair was playing an African drum and the rhythmic sound attracted a large crowd.
"I'm here again. Many people took my WeChat and my contact, my number. So they called me, they ordered and they need more," said a Ghanaian exhibitor.
Dewi Avilia, Counselor for Social and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in China, is also attending the exhibition for the second time. She emphasized the need to promote cultural tourism as recent policies have made it easy for more Indonesian friends to travel to China.
"Chengdu and Chongqing have become two of the most popular tourist destinations for Indonesia. A lot of people now are not only talking about Shanghai, but are also talking about Chengdu, visiting the pandas and also Chongqing, because of the landscape. I think it is a good start," said Avilia.
This year's fair has also attracted huge number of new participants showcasing quality products.
"This is my first time. It's a great opportunity that we are able to showcase our products and to let people know about Uganda and Ugandan culture," said Mukisa Joseph, a Ugandan exhibitor.
"The expectations about this fair is to meet many people in the coffee industry. So far we have had a lot of consumers who are interested in roasted coffee. I'm still expecting more," said Mutijima Emma, a Rwandan exhibitor.
An Uzbek exhibitor, who is also a newcomer, initially intended to use this platform to promote his goods, but unexpectedly met partners from many other countries and found potential business opportunities here.
"This is a good platform to see the different global products and see the Chinese market all together. I met so many different people, but I also met many foreign people who are interested in our products. So I call these kind of events more like a globalization event," said Asilbek Khonkhujaev, an Uzbek exhibitor.
The fair has attracted attendees from 85 countries and international organizations, with over 450 Fortune 500 enterprises and companies taking the lead in their respective industries.
Newcomers, old friends gather at CIFTIS to seek new opportunities
