China to help Ebola-hit Guinea hone health care capacity

Chinese President Xi Jinping met here Thursday with Guinean President Alpha Conde and pledged to help the West African country once beset with an Ebola outbreak strengthen public health systems.

Beijing is pleased to see that Guinea has beaten the Ebola virus, Xi said, recalling that when the crisis broke out last year, his country, out of its brotherly bond with Guinea, took the lead in providing assistance.

China, he added, will continue to send medical teams to Guinea and support Conakry developing public health and epidemic prevention networks and promoting its capacity-building in this vital public-welfare area.

Noting that Guinea is the first sub-Saharan country to establish diplomatic ties with China and that the two nations boast a profound traditional friendship, Xi said his country attaches great importance to its relations with Guinea.

"China stands ready to work with Guinea to translate their time-honored friendship into sustained impetus for bilateral cooperation and common development," Xi said, suggesting that the two countries cement political mutual trust, boost friendly exchanges at all levels and deepen win-win cooperation, so as to bring more benefits to both peoples.

China encourages its enterprises to participate in Guinea's industrial construction and invest in the country's agricultural production and processing sectors, added the Chinese president.

Conde, For his part, also spoke highly of the long-standing friendship between Guinea and China, and expressed his gratitude for China's long-running support for his country, particularly the valuable and timely assistance China offered for its struggle against the Ebola outbreak.

Guinea, he said, is committed to strengthening its cooperative partnership with China and hopes to expand bilateral cooperation in such fields as hydro-power and mining.

Both Xi and Conde are in Johannesburg for the second summit of the 15-year-old Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which groups China, 50 African countries that have established diplomatic ties with China, and the Commission of the African Union.

Guinea is one of the worst-hit countries in the worst Ebola outbreak in history, which has taken more than 11,000 lives across West Africa. Although having not been officially declared clear, it is now in a 42-day countdown to the end of the crisis since the last known Ebola patient in the country recovered in mid-November.

In the battle against the grave threat, China provided Guinea and other affected African countries with enormous assistance, which has once again testified to the close friendship between China and Africa and demonstrated the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith in China's Africa policy.

In September, a Chinese medical team that helped fight the Ebola epidemic in Guinea was honored with the South-South Awards, which recognizes governments, organizations and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to global sustainable development. Endi