Jiang Zemin Meets Tanzanian PresidentChinese President Jiang Zemin met Tuesday morning with President Benjamin William Mkapa of Tanzania at the Great Hall of the People and reaffirmed China's emphasis on relations with Tanzania and other African countries.Extending a warm welcome to Mkapa, Jiang said Mkapa's participation in the forum on the eve of the African country's busy general election is not only a strong support to the meeting but also a demonstration of the emphasis attached by the Tanzanian Government to relations with China. The Chinese Government, as always, highly values its relations with Africa. Developing and strengthening friendly cooperation with African nations has been an important part of China's independent foreign policy of peace, Jiang said. Jiang said that the forum is the first ever venue for China-Africa multilateral, collective dialogue to jointly plan for the future within the framework of South-South cooperation. During the three-day forum, Jiang said China and African nations will jointly discuss how to push forward the establishment of a just and rational new political and economic order of the world, safeguard the common interests of the developing countries, and further boost Sino-African economic and trade cooperation. Such discussions will be based on the principle of conducting equal consultation, deepening mutual understanding, broadening consensus, furthering friendship, and promoting cooperation, he added. Jiang expressed strong conviction that through concerted efforts of both sides, the forum will achieve great success and help stimulate cooperation between China and Africa in all fields. Mkapa voiced gladness over his participation in the forum, adding that the Tanzanian delegation's attendance to the meeting, an unprecedented gathering in Africa-China relations, fully demonstrates the importance attached by Tanzania to its relations with China. The Tanzanian president said during his visit to China two years ago, he reached consensus with the Chinese side on the further expansion of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. He reiterated that Tanzania will continue to explore ways for bilateral cooperation in various sectors. He said he is highly appreciative of China's long-term assistance to the African continent. Mkapa is here at the invitation of President Jiang to attend the China-Africa Cooperation Forum. |
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