Angola reaffirms commitment to one-China policy

LUANDA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Angola's Foreign Minister Manuel Domingos Augusto on Sunday reaffirmed his country's commitment to the one-China policy.

In a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Augusto said Angola remains committed to the one-China policy and supports China's legitimate rights and interests on issues concerning its core interests, including the South China Sea.

Angola highly values its relations with China, said Augusto, stressing that such a relationship is based on mutual respect and dialogue on an equal footing.

The Angolan foreign minister pledged efforts to enhance bilateral exchanges and cooperation in areas such as politics, diplomacy, economy and trade, and culture.

He said that Angola is willing to cooperate with China to ensure the success of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, which will be hosted by China this year.

For his part, Wang said 35 years after China and Angola established diplomatic ties, China is now Angola's key strategic partner and largest trading partner.

The two countries' fruitful cooperation in a wide range of fields has served as a fine example of the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Africa, said Wang.

He called for continued efforts on both sides to strengthen political mutual trust and support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests.

Wang said China will keep in contact with Angola and make joint efforts to ensure that the FOCAC summit in Beijing contributes to the solidarity of China and Africa and their mutually beneficial relations.

The Chinese foreign minister is in Africa for his first new year trip that has taken him to Rwanda and Angola. He will visit Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe afterwards. Enditem