Nation vow8k8 log ins to boost ties with Solomon Islands

Premier Li Qiang pledged on Thursday to enhance ties between China and the Solomon Islands, and expressed Beijing's commitment to working with Pacific island countries to build an even closer community with a shared future.

Li made the remarks during his talks in Beijing with Jeremiah Manele, prime minister of the Solomon Islands. Manele is making a weeklong official visit to China that started on Tuesday.

China will continue to uphold the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development to promote the steady development of comprehensive strategic partnerships with Pacific island countries, including the Solomon Islands, Li said.

During the meeting, Li highlighted the robust growth of bilateral relations over the past five years since the two countries established diplomatic ties, saying that political mutual trust between China and the Solomon Islands has continuously deepened and their exchanges and cooperation in various fields have been fruitful.

China supports the Solomon Islands in independently choosing a development path that suits its national conditions, and is willing to work together to firmly support each other's core interests, he said.

China is ready to share more development experiences with the Solomon Islands and strengthen cooperation in infrastructure, rural development, communication and low-carbon transformation, Li said. He also noted that the nation is also willing to import more high-quality agricultural products from the Solomon Islands and encourage eligible Chinese enterprises to invest in the country.

Both sides should enhance exchanges and cooperation in education, healthcare, culture, sports and youth development, deepen subnational partnership, and further facilitate people-to-people exchanges, in order to solidify the foundation of public support for bilateral cooperation, he added.

Manele expressed his appreciation for the fruitful cooperation between the Solomon Islands and China over the past five years, and thanked China for its strong support for the economic and social development of his country.

The Solomon Islands steadfastly adheres to the one-China principle, supports President Xi Jinping's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and highly appreciates China's contributions to promoting world peace and development, he said.

It is willing to deepen cooperation with China in the fields of economy and trade, infrastructure construction, healthcare, culture and poverty alleviation, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change, he added.

Following their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation agreements on jointly building of the Belt and Road, economy and trade, education, the digital economy, green development, and inspection and quarantine.

Egyptian leader greeted

In another development, Premier Li congratulated Mustafa Madbouly on his reappointment as Egyptian prime minister on Thursday.

In a congratulatory message sent to Madbouly, Li highlighted the deep-rooted friendship between China and Egypt, emphasizing the robust development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations in recent years, which he said has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of Sino-Egyptian relations, and is willing to work together with the new Egyptian government to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries to deepen political mutual trust and enhance friendly cooperation in various fields to drive bilateral relations to new heights, Li said.

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