BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping on Monday met with Comorian President Azali Assoumani, who is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The two leaders announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

Noting that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and the Comoros, Xi said the two countries have set an example of relations between countries of different sizes featuring equality, solidarity and cooperation.

Xi said China is willing to engage in poverty reduction cooperation with the Comoros and support the Indian Ocean island nation in leveraging its geographic and maritime resources for development.

China stands ready to help the Comoros achieve its goal of eliminating malaria by 2025, and expand practical bilateral cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, investment, infrastructure, marine fisheries and climate change, Xi said.

The Comorian president expressed the country's willingness to strengthen and elevate relations with China, and to build Comoros-China ties into an example of Africa-China cooperation.

He said the Comoros is ready to enhance communication and coordination with China within multilateral frameworks to promote solidarity among developing countries and facilitate the resolution of regional conflicts through dialogue.