Xi: Strengthen China-Africa ties, solidarity

President discusses bilateral relations with Equatorial Guinean, Uzbek leaders

President Xi Jinping said in a telephone conversation with Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on Wednesday that China and Africa should strengthen solidarity and closely work with and support each other in maintaining the shared interests of developing countries.

China welcomes Equatorial Guinea to join the Global Development Initiative and stands ready to work with all African countries to achieve the sustainable and common progress of developing nations, he said.

The initiative, proposed by Xi last month at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video link, is a public good and platform for cooperation that China is providing to the world to jointly address global threats and challenges to build a better world for all.

Xi said China-Equatorial Guinea bilateral ties have been at a high level in recent years and China highly appreciates Equatorial Guinea's strong support on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and human rights.

China will firmly support the African country in safeguarding its national sovereignty, continue to assist it with COVID-19 vaccines and provide the best possible support for its economic and social development, he said.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of China sending its first medical team to Equatorial Guinea, Obiang said that the government and people of his country sincerely thank the Chinese medical teams for protecting people's health.

Equatorial Guinea supports and will actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative as well as the Global Development Initiative, he said.

Xi also had a phone conversation with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Wednesday, after sending him a message on Monday congratulating him on his reelection.

Xi said that China will help Uzbekistan build a regional production center of COVID-19 vaccines as part of efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation in fighting the pandemic.

He urged the two countries to better align their policies for all-around cooperation and expand trade and investment in areas such as digital finance and cross-border e-commerce.

China and Uzbekistan should improve their level of interconnectivity and support their enterprises to continue to carry out cooperation in the oil and gas sector, Xi said.

The president also called on the two countries to strengthen cooperation in the law enforcement and security fields to maintain the safety and stability of both countries and the whole region.

As next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Uzbekistan, Xi urged the two countries to seize opportunities at the new starting point and strive for more concrete achievements from cooperation to benefit their peoples.

Mirziyoyev said he highly praised the people-centered philosophy and the Global Development Initiative proposed by Xi and will learn from China's experience in governance.

He also said that his country firmly supports China's position on issues that concern its core interests and opposes attempts to politicize the study of the origins of COVID-19.