Jiang Zemin Meets Togolese President

Jiang Zemin Meets Togolese President

Chinese President Jiang Zemin met with Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema and his party at the Great Hall of the People Wednesday.

Jiang extended his warm welcome to Eyadema to participate in the on-going China-Africa Cooperation Forum in the capacity of rotating chairman of the Organization of African Unity, and lauded him as a respected old friend of the Chinese people.

President Eyadema's four visits to China have contributed a lot to mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, Jiang said, expressing the hope his current visit would further boost bilateral cooperation.

Jiang said President Eyadema's speech at yesterday's opening ceremony of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum was of great importance. The forum would also pass two documents, the Beijing Declaration and Sino-African Cooperation Guidelines for Economic and Social Development, which, Jiang believed, would provide important guidance for the development of China-Africa relations in the new century.

He expressed the belief that the forum would unveil a new page in China-Africa friendship and also exert a profound impact on South-South cooperation and the establishment of a just and rational political and economic world order.

Jiang said the existing Sino-Togolese friendship, initiated and fostered jointly by President Eyadema and Chinese leaders of three generations, has a solid foundation, citing the fact that bilateral ties have withstood the test of time during the past 28 years since the establishment of their diplomatic ties, with frequent high-level exchanges of visits and fruitful cooperation in various fields.

He appreciated Togo's pursuit of the One-China Policy and said China would encourage more enterprises to launch mutually beneficial cooperative projects with Togo.

The President also gave high regard to Eyadema's active role in helping mediate regional conflicts and reinforcing unity and cooperation among African nations.

Eyadema highly appreciated China's initiative to organize the China-Africa Cooperation Forum and believed that under the present world situation and rapid economic globalization, it is necessary for developing countries to further expand cooperation.

He expressed agreement with Jiang's view on bilateral ties and appreciation for China's consistent support for Togo. Friendly relations between Togo and China would climb to a new height in the future based on equality and mutual assistance, he said.