Sino-Tanzanian ties to get new impetus

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan's upcoming visit to China, the first trip to the country made by an African head of state after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, will inject new impetus into the comprehensive development of bilateral ties, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday.

During the three-day visit, which will begin on Wednesday, President Xi Jinping will hold a welcoming ceremony and banquet for the African guest, and the two leaders will hold talks and jointly attend the signing ceremony for cooperation documents.

Premier Li Keqiang and Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will also hold separate meetings with Hassan.

Mao noted that Tanzania is an important country in East Africa and said China and Tanzania enjoy a traditional friendship.

When visiting Tanzania in 2013, President Xi put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, and Mao said these principles have become a basic policy guiding solidarity and cooperation between China and African countries.

The two countries have in recent years maintained sound cooperation in both regional and international affairs, with fruitful practical cooperation and deepened political mutual trust, Mao said.

It is believed that Hassan's visit will promote friendly cooperation between the two countries to achieve new progress, she added.

In another development, Mao briefed the media about the meeting on Wednesday between State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and diplomatic envoys of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries. It was Wang's first diplomatic activity since the congress.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, highlighted the epoch-making significance and great achievements of the congress, saying the Chinese path to modernization would bring significant opportunities and benefits to all countries.

"The meeting shows the importance China attaches to ASEAN," said Mao, adding that China would continue to give priority to ASEAN in its neighborhood diplomacy.

Noting that ASEAN countries will host the upcoming G20 Summit, the APEC economic leaders' meeting and a series of leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation, Mao said,"'Asia's moment' in global governance is arriving.

"China looks forward to working with ASEAN to contribute to regional and global governance and show our collective robustness as Asian nations," she added.