China, Cameroon pledge closer cooperation

BEIJING, June 19-- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Cameroonian Prime Minister Philemon Yang in Beijing on Friday, and they vowed further cooperation between their countries.

Xi said the Chinese side attaches great importance to relations with Cameroon and feels satisfied with the status of the bilateral ties.

He proposed the two sides cooperate more to benefit people in the two countries.

At the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang, Philemon is paying an official visit to China from Wednesday to Sunday. Li and Philemon held talks on Thursday afternoon and witnessed the signing of a number of cooperative documents on the economy, technology, infrastructure, and cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises.

During Friday's meeting, Xi suggested the two sides organize more exchanges between the administrations, political parties and legislatures of the two countries, in a bid to increase political trust and safeguard their common interests.

The president thanked Cameroon for its adherence to the one-China policy, expressing hope that the two sides can cooperate more in industry, agriculture, energy, regional aviation, infrastructure and human resources.

"China supports Cameroon's push for self-driven, sustainable development," Xi said, adding that the two sides should enhance people-to-people exchanges to deepen mutual understanding and cement friendship between youth, women, think tanks, scholars and journalists.

China is willing to help Cameroon train more professionals for its social and economic development, he said.

According to Xi, China and African countries are "a community of common destiny sharing weal and woe, facing the same task of development".

China will actively practise the concept of "sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith" in its cooperation with Africa, and will support African nations to become more self-sufficient, he vowed.

Philemon said Cameroon values its ties with China. He thanked the Chinese side for assistance in Cameroon's economic and social development, looking forward to closer cooperation between the two countries in sectors such as industry, infrastructure, education, and science and technology.

The Cameroonian government will work harder to provide more convenience for foreign investors, he said.

Cameroon stands ready to promote friendship between African countries and China within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Philemon added.

Later on Friday, Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference(CPPCC), also met with the visiting prime minister.

Yu said the CPPCC is keen to have more exchanges with the Senate, the National Assembly, political parties and social circles of Cameroon to help strengthen the bilateral relationship.

Philemon said the Cameroonian side wants to learn from China's experience in development, welcomes Chinese investment and hopes for continued mutual support, reciprocal cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.