Chinese, Gambian presidents announce elevation of bilateral ties to strategic partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Gambian President Adama Barrow jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations between their two countries to a strategic partnership at a meeting held in Beijing on Friday.

Barrow is in the Chinese capital to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which runs from Wednesday to Friday.

At the meeting, Xi said that in recent years, China-Gambia relations have achieved positive progress, with consolidated political mutual trust, and more practical cooperation, making the two countries good friends and partners on their path to development and revitalization.

He said the two countries need to continue firmly supporting each other on matters concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, consolidate and maintain their friendship and mutual trust, and promote steady and long-term development of bilateral relations.

Xi said he is glad to see how China's aid and cooperation projects have improved the lives of the Gambian people, stressing that the FOCAC summit this time introduced a series of new cooperation initiatives in areas such as industry, agriculture and infrastructure.

China is ready to work with Gambia to leverage the outcomes of this summit for more bilateral cooperation, and support Gambia’s economic growth and improvement of the people's livelihoods. China will continue to send medical teams to Gambia, promote Chinese language education in the country, encourage more Gambian youth to visit China, and strengthen people-to-people bonds, Xi said.

He also congratulated Gambia on hosting the 15th session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit Conference in Banjul, the Gambia's capital, in May, and expressed China’s willingness to deepen cooperation with both Gambia and the OIC.

For his part, Barrow expressed his delight at attending the FOCAC summit, noting that the warmth of the Chinese people and the beauty and prosperity of the city are truly captivating.

Barrow said that Gambia and China enjoy a profound friendship. The Gambia International Conference Center, built with Chinese aid, has become a new landmark in Banjul, and those cooperative projects have greatly improved the lives of the Gambian people.

The 10 partnership action plans unveiled by President Xi at the summit’s opening ceremony on Thursday have elevated Africa-China relations to new heights, for which Gambia expresses deep appreciation and gratitude, he said.

Noting that Gambia has always been a reliable friend of China, Barrow expressed his hope to further enrich the substance of bilateral relations by deepening cooperation in economic, trade and cultural fields.

Gambia firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and is ready to strengthen cooperation on multilateral affairs while continuing its support of China’s positions on issues such as human rights, the president said.

Chinese, Gambian presidents announce elevation of bilateral ties to strategic partnership

Chinese, Gambian presidents announce elevation of bilateral ties to strategic partnership

Chinese, Gambian presidents announce elevation of bilateral ties to strategic partnership

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