China and Mozambique issued a joint communiqué yesterday in Maputo addressing both bilateral relations and global affairs of common concern during President Hu Jintao's two-day state visit to the African country.

 

 

The communiqué was issued following talks between Hu and Mozambican President Armando Emilio Guebuza held in Maputo.

 

The two leaders engaged in a frank exchange of views, reaching a broad consensus on the implementation of the results attained at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), on bilateral cooperative relations and global affairs of common concern, the communiqué said.

 

The two nations hailed their traditional friendship and the positive motion of bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations 31 years ago, as well as economic and social cooperation, according to the communiqué.

 

Agreements were reached to enhance high-level exchanges not only between the two countries' governments and parliaments, but also involving the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Mozambique Liberation Front Party.

 

China and Mozambique further resolved to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in a range of fields, particularly economy and trade. The social and cultural fields will see an expansion of personnel exchanges, which will consolidate and uplift bilateral relations, the communiqué said.

 

Mozambique reaffirmed its commitment to the one-China policy, its opposition to "Taiwan independence" in any form, including "de facto Taiwan independence," and to Taiwan's accession to any international organizations of sovereign states, it said.

 

On economic issues, both sides enjoy a high degree of complementary ties and a strong potential exists for future economic and trade cooperation. China and Mozambique will each encourage their enterprises to cooperate in agricultural exploitation and infrastructure construction.

 

The two sides signed a slew of agreements toward partial debt cancellation and the construction of a national stadium, agricultural technical demonstration center and schools in Mozambique.

 

On international issues, both sides spoke of their desire to strengthen negotiations and coordination on multilateral affairs, to make joint representations of the interests of the developing countries and to press ahead with international political and economical evolution in a fairer and more reasonable direction.

 

In the communiqué, the two leaders agreed on the creation of a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership, featuring political equality and mutual trust, economic cooperation and cultural exchange.

 

 

Hu is on the seventh leg of his eight-nation trip to Africa that has already taken him to Cameroon, Liberia, Sudan, Zambia, Namibia, and South Africa. He will end his tour by visiting the Seychelles.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2007)