Chinese, Togolese FM hold talks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, held talks with Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey on Wednesday in Lome, the capital of Togo.

Dussey welcomed Wang’s visit and highly appreciated China’s decades-long tradition of foreign ministers’ first visit to Africa at the beginning of a new year. He emphasized that Togo always stands firmly by China, upholds the one-China principle, and supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.

Dussey said that Togo and China have a long history of friendship and fruitful practical cooperation. He thanked China for its long-term support over Togo’s economic and social development. He expressed the willingness to further deepen practical cooperation in various fields with China and to strengthen strategic cooperation with China to jointly maintain regional peace and stability.

For his part, Wang Yi thanked Dussey for expressing his firm support of the one-China principle, which fully demonstrated the friendship of the Togolese Government and people towards China and the genuine partnership between the two countries.

Wang pointed out that China and Togo have built a model of equal treatment and mutually beneficial cooperation, which has also become a symbol of China-Africa solidarity and friendship.

Under the guidance of the leaders of China and Togo, the relations of the two countries have maintained a steady momentum of development, and the practical cooperation of the two countries has attained fruitful achievements, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries. Wang added that China is willing to expand all-round cooperation with Togo, implement joint construction projects, and help Togo accelerate its development and move towards modernization together.

Wang also expressed China’s appreciation for Togo’s adherence to Pan-Africanism and its active mediation of sub-regional hotspot issues. China supports Togo in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs. Wang expressed China’s wish for Togo to successfully hold a Pan-African Congress.

Calling Africa an independent pole in a multipolar world, Wang said that China supports African countries in their insistence on independence and autonomy, in their quest for unity and self-reliance, and in taking Africa's destiny into their own hands.

The senior Chinese diplomat also said that China will always be a long-term strategic partner that Africa can trust and rely on and will fully support Africa in exploring the path of African-style modernization, so as to jointly create a brighter future for China-Africa cooperation.