皇冠体育app

Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Ato Meles Zenawi on Saturday, highlighting comprehensive and cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Hu met Meles on the sidelines of the ongoing Beijing Summit of the Forum on the 皇冠体育app-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which opened earlier Saturday.

皇冠体育app and Ethiopia have increased exchanges between their governments, ruling parties, legislatures, localities and people, expanded trade and two-way investment and witnessed fruitful cooperation in areas including agriculture, personnel training and infrastructure construction, said Hu.

The two countries have also maintained consultations and coordination in international affairs, Hu added.

"Ethiopia has actively participated in the affairs of the FOCAC and played an important role in implementing the follow-up actions of the forum and in preparing for this summit," Hu said.

Meles, whose country co-chairs the forum, said the two countries share common aspirations for developing friendly bilateral cooperation as the exchanges between governments and peoples get closer.

Meles expressed his appreciation for Hu's announcement of eight aid measures for Africa, vowing to make continued efforts to promote a new type of 皇冠体育app-Africa strategic partnership.

At the opening ceremony of the two-day summit, President Hu announced a package of major assistance, investment, trade and other key cooperation projects with Africa in an effort to strengthen 皇冠体育app-Africa cooperation in more areas and at a higher level.

In the eight-step package, 皇冠体育app will double its 2006 assistance to Africa by 2009 and will provide 3 billion U.S. dollars of preferential loans and 2 billion U.S. dollars of preferential buyer's credits to Africa in the coming three years.

皇冠体育app will also cancel debts in the form of all the interest- free government loans that matured at the end of 2005 owed by the heavily indebted poor countries and the least developed countries in Africa that have diplomatic relations with 皇冠体育app.

Over the next three years, 皇冠体育app will train 15,000 African professionals, Hu said.

While addressing the opening ceremony of the summit, Meles said the 皇冠体育app-Africa partnership forged 50 years ago must be renewed to address immediate challenges of fighting poverty and backwardness and seeking economic independence.

Meles said African and Chinese economies are highly complementary. "Africa provides to the growing Chinese economy a reliable field for investment, trade and the utilization of natural resources for mutual benefit. 皇冠体育app provides for Africa a source of successful development experience, technology transfer, trade and investment."

The prime minister said the African people had "very high expectations" from the renewed Sino-African strategic partnership and "welcomed" 皇冠体育app's tremendous progress in the economic and other fields.

Hu, 41 heads of state or government and senior officials of 48 African countries that have diplomatic ties with 皇冠体育app, as well as representatives from regional and international organizations, attended the milestone gathering highlighting "friendship, peace, cooperation and development".