Chinese FM's Africa tour to boost China-Africa strategic partnership

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi kicked off his official tour of five African nations and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, aiming to cement China's strategic partnership with Africa, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tuesday.

"At the beginning of every year, China's foreign minister pays a visit to Africa. This a good tradition that dates back 20 years," spokesperson Jiang Yu told a regular press briefing.

Yang arrived in the Maldives Tuesday. Yang's tour of Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Morocco will last from Jan. 6 to 12, and then he will visit Saudi Arabia on Jan. 12 and 13, said Jiang.

"China and Africa have worked together to build a new strategic partnership, featuring political equality and mutual trust, mutually beneficial economic cooperation and cultural exchanges," said Jiang.

During the fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Egypt in November, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced eight new measures to push forward the new China-Africa strategic partnership, said Jiang.

Source: Xinhua