Chinese premier meets Gabonese president in Beijing

BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with President of the Gabonese Republic Ali Bongo Ondimba, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Wednesday.

Calling Gabon a good friend and partner of China in Africa, Li said that under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders, China-Gabon relations have steered onto a fast track.

China is willing to better synergize development strategies, share development experience, work with Gabon to explore new areas of cooperation and innovate cooperation models, work for common development and promote bilateral ties to new high, said Li.

Li also said the two countries should deepen communications and cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, foster new growth points of cooperation, further tap into the potential of green cooperation, and forge a paradigm of South-South cooperation in response to climate change.

Li stressed that China supports Gabon in playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs, and is ready to strengthen coordination with Gabon on multilateral affairs, jointly uphold international justice and fairness, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries

Noting that Gabonese and Chinese people treat each other with sincerity and trust each other with mutual respect, Bongo said the two countries enjoy a special cooperative relationship that is of high quality, adding that China's development mode provides important inspiration for Gabon.

Gabon is willing to work with China to strengthen cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, jointly implement the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, enhance cooperation under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and international organizations, oppose politicizing human rights issues, and respond to climate change and other global challenges.