Chinese Vice-Premier Li Lanqing met in Beijing on Tuesday with a delegation consisting of diplomats from 25 African countries and three trans-African organizations.
During the meeting, Li said that the Chinese government had always attached importance to Africa and boosting friendly cooperative ties with Africa was a vital, integral part of China's diplomatic policy.
The China-Africa friendly cooperative relationship had undergone the test of the time and the ups and downs of the international situation and had seen improvements and consolidation, he said.
He noted that in the new century, China would continue to establish a long-term partnership of mutual benefit with Africa.
The African diplomats are here at the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.
(People's Daily June 5, 2002)
