BEIJING - Malian President Amadou Toumany Toure arrived here on Thursday for
the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
A total of 48 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China are
to participate in the two-day summit, which is scheduled to start on November 4.
The existing cooperative relations between Africa and China served as a model
for South-South cooperation, Toure told Xinhua prior to his departure for China.
The summit will definitely promote the implementation of new cooperative
policies between Africa and China, he added.
At the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Toure paid a five-day state
visit to China in July of 2004.
China and Mali established diplomatic relations on October 25, 1960 and
bilateral trade totaled 145 million US dollars in 2005.
