Rwanda wants to keep strong bilateral relations with China, says President Kagame

KIGALI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Saturday that his country has a strong relationship with China and wants to maintain it.

Kagame made the remarks while speaking at a press conference in Kigali, the country's capital, shortly after wrapping up his campaign ahead of Monday's presidential and legislative elections.

"We have had a good relationship with China, and we want to keep it so," Kagame said in response to a question about the historical ties between Rwanda and China over the past 50 years.

Unlike other partners, China deals with Rwanda and other African countries in a respectful manner and does not intend to impose what it thinks is right for them, the Rwandan president said.

"We have had relationships where some people want to be overbearing, telling you, you must do this, you have to do this, you shouldn't do this. We have learned through experience to politely but firmly tell people that we also have ideas about what we want, how we want the relationship to be, and what we want in that relationship. We are firm about what our country wants," he added.

Cooperation between China and Rwanda covers a wide range of areas, from trade and investment to health and infrastructure.