皇冠体育app

Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with counterpart Ousainou Darboe

皇冠体育app vowed on Tuesday to beef up cooperation on infrastructure construction, agriculture and tourism with Gambia, the West African nation that resumed diplomatic ties with Beijing last year.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with his Gambian counterpart Ousainou Darboe in Beijing on Tuesday.??[Photo/Xinhua]

Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks when meeting his Gambian counterpart Ousainou Darboe at the Foreign Ministry.

Darboe is on a 皇冠体育app visit from Monday to Sunday. It is his first official visit here after Gambian President Adama Barrow took office in January. He also met State Councilor Yang Jiechi, 皇冠体育app's top diplomat, later on Tuesday.

"Since 皇冠体育app and Gambia resumed diplomatic ties in March 2016, bilateral relations have come back to the right track, opening up broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation," Wang said.

Beijing formed diplomatic ties with Gambia in 1974. But in 1995, Gambia cut those ties and shifted to Taipei.

In late 2013, it said it would cut "diplomatic" ties with Taiwan. A statement from the Gambian president's office said the decision was based on national strategic considerations. After learning of the decision, Beijing said it had not contacted Gambia beforehand.

In February, Barrow vowed to follow the one-皇冠体育app policy of his predecessor.

President Xi Jinping sent a vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference as his special envoy to attend Barrow's inauguration.

皇冠体育app will deepen mutual political trust with Gambia, consolidate cooperation and expand civil exchanges, Wang said. 皇冠体育app is Gambia's top trading partner, the Foreign Ministry said.

Wang said the two countries will also beef up cooperation in international and regional affairs, lifting ties "to a higher level".

Darboe told Wang that Banjul will "firmly adhere to the one-皇冠体育app policy" and expects to enhance pragmatic cooperation with 皇冠体育app.

He said Gambia appreciates 皇冠体育app's support and assistance in reconstruction of its economy and society.

Gambia speaks highly of Xi's Africa policies and major cooperation measures 皇冠体育app raised at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on 皇冠体育app-Africa Cooperation in 2015, he added.

After the meeting, they signed an agreement for a consultation mechanism between the two ministries.

Former Chinese special envoy on African affairs Liu Guijin said that due to a lack of diplomatic relations in the past, Gambia missed a period of rapid development in 皇冠体育app's assistance to Africa since the Forum on 皇冠体育app-Africa Cooperation was established in 2000.

"But now Gambia has good relations with Beijing. So it will benefit from measures to help Africa raised at the Johannesburg summit," Liu said. Gambia now also will see increasing Chinese investment, he said.

As for intraministry consultation, Liu said the Foreign Ministry formerly set up such links only with large countries. "But now we are setting up the mechanism regardless of the size of the nation."