China regards Africa as priority, wishes for deeper cooperation with Madagascar: FM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Saturday that China always regards Africa as priority in its diplomacy.

During his talks with his Malagasy counterpart, Beatrice Atallah, Wang said that he chose Africa as his first overseas visit destination in 2017 by following a nearly three-decade-old diplomatic tradition.

This signifies that China always regards developing countries as the cornerstone of its diplomacy and Africa its priority, said Wang.

He said the year 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Madagascar. For a long time, the two countries have respected and supported each other and treated each other as equals, thus becoming time-tested friends, he said.

At the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced 10 cooperation plans with Africa which are aimed at helping Africa realize industrialization and agricultural modernization, said Wang.

Madagascar had direct links with the ancient maritime silk road, which makes it a natural extension of the 21th Century Maritime Silk Road, said Wang.

China proposes that both sides seize the two major opportunities of implementing the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit and pushing forward international cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, so that they can fully play the role of mutually supplementing each other's development, he said.

Wang said that China would fully take into consideration Madagascar's development needs in the "five major sectors" of agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, travel services and regional aviation, while constructing the "three major pillars" of infrastructure, human resource development and trade and investment facilitation.

China is willing to help Madagascar transform its unique geographic and natural resource advantages into real development results and help accelerate its industrialization and agricultural modernization so as to realize self-reliant sustainable development and benefit its people.

Atallah said Madagascar is honored to host the Chinese foreign minister as the first stop of his African tour.

She said the two countries have witnessed ever deepening exchanges and cooperation, have supported each other in international affairs, and have developed a brotherly friendship since they established diplomatic relations 45 years ago.

She said Madagascar fully agrees with China on focusing cooperation in the "five major sectors" and the "three major pillars" as it has great development needs and potential in these fields.

Madagascar welcomes Chinese enterprises to seek opportunities in the country in the hope that cooperation with China will boost the country's development, said Atallah.

Madagascar backs the Belt and Road Initiative of China and wishes to join it at the earliest time, so as to participate in the global economy, realize industrialization and agricultural modernization, and bring tangible benefits to its people, said Atallah.

She expressed her appreciation of having China as a reliable partner with huge cooperation potential. Endi