President Xi says partnership will help build closer Sino-African community

President Xi Jinping and Guinean President Alpha Conde exchanged congratulatory messages on Friday over the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Guinea was the first sub-Saharan African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

Xi said in his message that the two countries have long valued sincerity and friendship and supported each other despite the changing international landscape over the past six decades.

The China-Guinea relationship has become an example of Sino-African solidarity and cooperation, he said.

Xi said he highly values developing bilateral ties and cherishes the traditional friendship between the two countries.

He stands ready to work with Conde in seizing the historic opportunities offered by the joint construction of the Belt and Road as well as the prosperous development of China-Africa cooperation, he added.

Xi also said he is willing to work with Conde in consolidating friendship and mutual trust, deepening pragmatic cooperation and continuously pushing forward the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Guinea.

This will better benefit the two countries and their people as well as bring positive contributions to building a closer Sino-African community with a shared future, he said.

Conde said in his message that the establishment of diplomatic ties between Guinea and China bears significant meaning for developing bilateral ties.

For a long time, the two countries have maintained a special relationship that serves as a microcosm of Africa-China friendly cooperation, he said.

The Guinean president said his country speaks highly of the Belt and Road Initiative and stands ready to work with China in implementing the results of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and promoting sustainable and deeper development of the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Last year, Conde attended the 2018 Beijing Summit of the FOCAC and met with Xi ahead of the event.