BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping on Sunday met with Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ahead of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Xi said the China-Equatorial Guinea friendship has become increasingly solid with the passage of time, calling it "a fine example of South-South cooperation" and describing the two countries as reliable partners and brothers who have jointly injected new vitality into their comprehensive cooperative partnership.

The president called on both sides to continue to deepen exchanges of experience in governance and ruling party building, and to support each other on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns.

China welcomes Equatorial Guinea's participation in the Belt and Road development and supports Chinese enterprises in actively engaging in infrastructure construction in Equatorial Guinea, Xi said.