Malawian President Bingu Wa Mutharika highly praised the one-year-old diplomatic relations between Malawi and China, which he said have developed very well and are mutually beneficial.
The president made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe days before the first anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties, which falls on Dec. 28.
Mutharika contributed the sound development of China-Malawi friendship to the determination and efforts of the two governments.
"At the end of this one-year period, I'd like to say that we have communicated a lot and understood each other much better," the president said.
Mutharika said his government made the decision to establish diplomatic relations with China because the government acknowledged relevant UN resolutions and the one-China policy.
Malawi also realized China's development potentials and its contributions to the world's development, the president said.
In order to develop itself, Malawi must cooperate with China, he said, adding the two peoples also wanted to see the establishment of diplomatic ties.
The country has sent a number of ministerial-level delegations to Beijing in 2008. Meanwhile, government officials and businessmen have also paid visits to China, said the president.
Recalling his visit to China this March, Mutharika said the trip was an "interesting and exciting" experience.
"It's a visit I had waited for a long time. During the visit, I was so impressed by the Chinese leaders' devotion to their country's development and their decision to promote the common development of China and African countries including Malawi," he said.
"I visited Shenzhen during the visit. I was so surprised by learning Shenzhen was a city no more than 30 years old. It is nothing short of a miracle that a small village has developed into such a metropolis like Shenzhen within a mere 30 years. That is very, very impressive," the president said.
"I think the achievement should be contributed to the Chinese leadership and the concerted effort of the Chinese people. Seeing from the example of Shenzhen, we can say that with determination and concerted effort, nothing is impossible," he said.
The president also called on Chinese investors to set up projects in Malawi, a country with a competitive edge in agriculture and tobacco plantation industry, and rich in mineral resources. "Come and invest in Malawi, a land of new opportunities in the heart of Africa," he said.
Mutharika extended his sincere and warm congratulations to China on its achievements over the past year.
He said China has successfully held high-level Olympic Games despite the devastating earthquake on May 12, which rocked southwestern China's Sichuan province and killed over 80,000 people.
This showed the Chinese people are hard-working, brave and courageous, and gave much inspiration to African countries including Malawi.
Source: Xinhua
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