Presidents of Angola and China call to strengthen bilateral cooperation

Xi Jinping (r) met with Jose Eduardo dos Santos in Johannesburg, South Africa

Angola and China should consolidate and deepen the existing bilateral strategic partnership for mutual benefit, Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos and Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Xi noted that bilateral relations are “at their highest level ever” and gave assurances that China intended to continue to work with Angola to support the country’s development, particularly in the industrial, financial and infrastructure construction sectors.
Cited by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, China’s president called for increased exchanges in areas such as education, culture, healthcare, media, youth, tourism and human resources.
The two leaders, who met in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the China/Africa Cooperation Forum taking place Friday and Saturday, seized the moment to review some international issues, particularly those related to the Great Lakes region in central Africa.
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, after referring to his state visit to china earlier this year in which “important consensus” was reached, mentioned some economic sectors in which Angola is interested in Chinese cooperation, including the oil industry, conservation of water resources and food processing, as well as the financial sector.
The Chinese ambassador to Angola, Cui Aimin, said last week that ongoing meetings between technical groups of the two countries are taking place. Those meetings aim at the development of monetary agreements, reciprocal protection of investments and introduction of visa facilities.  MDT/Macauhub

Xi Jinping (r) and Filipe Nyusi

Mozambique presents priority cooperation areas

The definition of priority areas such as agriculture, infrastructure and industrialisation, as well as their financing were topics discussed Thursday in Johannesburg by the presidents of China and Mozambique, Xi Jinping and Filipe Nyusi.
The meeting, the first between the two heads of state since Nyusi was sworn in in January, took place at the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government of the China/Africa Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation (FOCAC) , in Johannesburg, bringing together more than 50 dignitaries from countries with diplomatic relations with China.
According to Mozambican news agency AIM, the three areas that Mozambique put up for discussion with China coincide with the priorities identified not only by the African Union but also by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as it was considered that they are essential to poverty alleviation by increasing the income of the productive sector and the promotion of employment opportunities for the population. MDT/Macauhub