NOUAKCHOTT, Sept. 25-- China and Mauritania on Wednesday signed an agreement aiming at reinforcing cooperation between the two countries in the health sector, an official source has said.

The agreement signed in Nouakchott between Mauritania's Health Minister Ahmed Ould Hademine Ould Jelvoune and China's ambassador to Mauritania Wu Dong, which will particularly address the issue of Chinese health missions sent to Mauritania.

The missions will help in training of Mauritanian health workers in Nouakchott and Salibaby in the southeast parts of the country and in the eastern town of Kiffa.

According to the agreement, "China will pay for the cost of sending the health missions and will equally provide some medical equipments."

In May, China disbursed about 19 million U.S. dollars to help in the construction of the Kiffa hospital center.

Sino-Mauritanian cooperation in the health sector began over 40 years ago and the first team of Chinese doctors arrived in Mauritania in 1969.