Roundup: China's top political advisor visits Ghana to boost ties

China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng visited Ghana from Saturday to Tuesday to promote cooperation in various fields and enhance bilateral relations.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was visiting the African nation at the invitation of Ghanaian Parliament Speaker Edward Korbly Doe Adjaho.

In a meeting with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, Yu said that China stands ready to expand and promote bilateral pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.

China and Ghana, boasting a deep traditional friendship and great momentum of further development, shared a clear direction on how to boost their bilateral relations when Mahama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Forum on the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December last year, Yu said.

He added that China is willing to work with Ghana to promote the implementation of the 10 major plans for the China-Africa cooperation, which was announced by Xi in December.

The development of China and Africa has offered remarkable opportunities for each other, Yu noted, saying that the closer the China-Africa cooperation becomes, the more sustainable their growth will be.

For his part, Mahama said that the Ghana-China amity is deep-rooted and burgeoning, as the two sides enjoy frequent high-level exchanges, increasing exchanges in economic, trade and investment, and eye-catching economic and social benefits thanks to China's major economic and infrastructure projects in Ghana.

Ghana, highly appreciative of the China-Africa cooperation plan proposed, looks forward to engaging with China in more pragmatic cooperation, he said.

The top Ghanaian leader also said that his country is ready to enhance exchanges with China in such areas as development, reform and anti-corruption drive, to which both nations have been committed.

In his meeting with Speaker Adjaho, Yu said that the common aspiration of the China-Africa cooperation is to seek mutual benefit, win-win results and common development.

Therefore, China and Ghana are expected to implement the consensus reached by the two nations' top leaders, increase political mutual trust, promote the cooperation between companies of the two countries to a higher level, enhance the two sides' people-to-people exchanges, and coordinated their stances in the international affairs, Yu said.

The CPPCC is ready to increase exchanges with the Ghanaian parliament in a bid to promote China-Ghana relations, he added.

Adjaho responded by saying that all Ghanaian parties are supportive of developing their nation's relations with China, and willing to enhance with China the bilateral friendly exchanges, the two peoples' friendship and the cooperation between the companies.

In his Ghana stay, Yu also attended with President Mahama the inauguration ceremony of a gas power station project of Sunon Asogli, a local subsidiary of Shenzhen Energy of China in Accra.

Yu said that the power plant, the first of such a project China built in Africa, is expected to provide high-quality energy to help boost local development and tap the country's development potential.

During a meeting with representatives of Chinese enterprises operating in Ghana, Yu said that the Chinese enterprises operating here should take the opportunities unleashed by FOCAC, make adjustments in their business structure in accordance with the latest developments in global market, and the changes in the African economic arena.

He added that they could move up in the industry value chain and focus on their social responsibilities such as environmental protection.

Yu also laid a wreath at the mausoleum of Kwame Nkrumah in remembrance of the first president of Ghana, who forged the Ghana-China traditional friendship with the older generation of Chinese leaders.

Before leaving the country, Yu said that his Africa tour, which has also taken him to Gabon and Cote d'Ivoire, is a great success.

The visit has proved to him the deep friendship the African people harbor for China, Yu said, adding that he is fully confident of the China-Africa cooperation in working together to implement the FOCAC consensus and enhance their reciprocal cooperation in all fields. Endi