Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Cameroonian Ambassador on Premier Zhu's Upcoming Visit
Eleih-Elle Etian, ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to China, told Xinhua Tuesday in Beijing that Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's upcoming visit to Cameroon will expand and deepen the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Eleih-Elle Etian, ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to China, told Xinhua Tuesday in Beijing that Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's upcoming visit to Cameroon will expand and deepen the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Zhu will soon pay an official visit to Cameroon in late August at the invitation of President Paul Biya. The trip will be the second by a ranking Chinese official, following former Prime Minister Li Peng's visit in May 1997. Li Peng is currently the chairman of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.
According to Etian, Zhu is expected to confer with Biya on important domestic and international issues, and Zhu's visit demonstrates that the bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation have deepened since the two countries established full diplomatic relations 31 years ago.
Etian spoke highly of bilateral relations, adding that, in accordance with signed agreements, the two nations have held regular political consultations on bilateral ties, regional and international issues.
Meanwhile, he noted, biennial meetings of the Cameroon-China Economic Cooperation Commission held alternately in Yaounde and Beijing helped to facilitate economic, banking and cultural cooperation and to reinforce bilateral relations.
The maternity and child-care hospital in Yaounde newly built with Chinese assistance is yet another example of the growth of bilateral relations, he said.
Moreover, Etian expressed the hope that the entrepreneurs of both countries could improve mutual understanding and cooperation in private sector, which is increasingly important since China's entry to the World Trade Organization.
Etian said that 66 Chinese firms have thus far established themselves in major cities in Cameroon and that many Cameroonians have traveled to China in search of business opportunities.
The government of Cameroon is thinking of holding a "Cameroonian Economic Day" in China in the near future, he said.