Chinese, Central African Republic presidents announce elevation of bilateral ties to strategic partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera in Beijing on Friday, with the two leaders jointly announcing the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

Touadera is in Beijing 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 although China and the Central African Republic are separated by oceans, the two countries have always worked hand in hand and maintained a close relationship. China appreciates Central African Republic's long-term and firm support on issues concerning China's core interests, and will continue to support its efforts to safeguard national independence, security and stability.

Xi encouraged the Central African Republic to make good use of the measures announced at the summit to further deepen economic and trade cooperation with China, and continuously elevate bilateral cooperation across various sectors. He said the ultimate goal of Chinese modernization is to ensure a better life for the people, which is also the goal of China's efforts to advance modernization in partnership with African countries.

China is willing to strengthen exchanges with the Central African Republic on state governance to create a better and happier life for the people of both countries, Xi said.

The Chinese president also expressed the hope that the Central African Republic will provide a safer business environment for Chinese enterprises.

Touadera said that he was very glad to attend the FOCAC Beijing summit. In addition to Beijing, he also visited Shandong Province, Chongqing and Tianjin Municipalities, to personally experience the achievements of China's modernization.

Touadera said that these are among the practical results of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and that he is willing to continue to learn from China successful ideas and experiences.

Touadera congratulated the Communist Party of China (CPC) on the successful convening of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in July, saying he believes that China's further comprehensive deepening of reform and promotion of Chinese-style modernization will provide more development opportunities for Africa.

The Central African Republic firmly supports the one-China principle and believes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, said Touadera, adding that China's foreign policy is conducive to promoting world peace and development. The Central African Republic highly appreciates China's leading role in international affairs and is willing to work closely with China in multilateral cooperation.

Touadera expressed appreciation to President Xi for announcing a package of new measures for cooperation with Africa at the FOCAC summit. He expressed the hope that the two countries will jointly implement the outcomes of the summit, advance Belt and Road cooperation, deepen cooperation in areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, mining, energy, digital economy and capacity building, thereby elevating the bilateral relationship to new heights.

On the sidelines of the FOCAC summit, the two sides signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents in multiple fields including Belt and Road cooperation and media cooperation.

The three-day FOCAC summit 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.

Chinese, Central African Republic presidents announce elevation of bilateral ties to strategic partnership

Chinese, Central African Republic 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