Xi attends handover ceremony of Senegal's national wrestling arena

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall attend a handover ceremony of the National Wrestling Arena built with Chinese aid in Dakar, Senegal, July 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

DAKAR, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall, attended here on Sunday a handover ceremony of the National Wrestling Arena built with Chinese aid.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were received by Sall and his wife Marieme at the arena in the suburb of the Senegalese capital of Dakar, where a large picture of Xi and Sall standing side by side was hung at the entrance.

The two couples saw a photo exhibition of the project before appearing at the arena to a cheering crowd waving the national flags of China and Senegal. Banners celebrating China-Africa relations and China-Senegal friendship were seen hanging at the arena.

At the ceremony, the Chinese president handed over to Sall the "golden key" of the project. Afterwards, they watched a show of traditional Senegalese wrestling.

The National Wrestling Arena is a vivid reflection of the profound friendship between the Chinese and the Senegalese, Xi said.

Hailing Senegal as a country of culture, Xi said China is ready to work with Senegal in committing itself to preserving and carrying forward traditional cultures so as to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

Noting that wrestling is the national treasure of Senegal, Sall extended heartfelt thanks to China for helping build such a modern and multi-functional arena for his country.

The arena is a new emblem of Senegal-China friendship, he added.

The arena, the first modern one in Africa, is the largest aid project China has carried out in Senegal.