China ready to offer more assistance to Angola in epidemic fight
Chinese Medical Team doctors talk with an Angolan doctor at Luanda General Hospital in Luanda, Angola, Jan. 20, 2020. Since 2009, China has sent a total of more than 70 medical team members to Angola to provide medical services to the Angolan people free of charge, with a total of more than 200,000 consultations. (Xinhua/Deng Xiaojiang)
BEIJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that the Chinese side is willing to keep offering assistance to Angola to the best of its ability, and will send an anti-epidemic medical expert group to the country in the near future.
During his phone conversation with Angolan President Joao Lourenco, Xi also said China is willing to give priority to sharing with African countries after its vaccine research and development is successful and put into use.
Xi said that in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Chinese and Angolan governments have taken resolute and decisive measures, and have effectively contained the epidemic based on the principle of putting people first and putting life first, adding that the two sides have supported and helped each other, and the expatriates of the two countries in each other's countries have been well taken care of.
Officials from Angola and China attend an online contract signing ceremony in Luanda, Angola, on July 16, 2020. Angolan government and China Shenzhen BGI group held the online contract signing ceremony to boost its COVID-19 detection capacity. (BGI Group/Handout via Xinhua)
He also said that Angola is China's important partner in Africa, and that China and Angola are good brothers and partners of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, adding that China supports Angola in independently exploring a development path suited to its national conditions and stands ready to work with Angola to steer the direction of bilateral relations and take the China-Angola strategic partnership to a higher level.
Noting the economies of China and Angola are highly complementary, Xi said China is willing to promote cooperation on the resumption of work and production with Angola on the basis of sound epidemic prevention and control, encourage competent Chinese enterprises to undertake investment cooperation in Angola, promote new development in practical cooperation between the two countries, and boost Angola's economic and social development.
China is ready to closely coordinate with Angola on multilateral occasions and in international affairs to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, and to defend multilateralism and the common interests of developing countries, he added.
Staff members work at a Huoyan laboratory in Luanda, Angola, Sept. 11, 2020. Angolan government entrusted China Shenzhen BGI group with the construction of five Huoyan, or Fire Eye, laboratories for the detection of novel coronavirus across the country to improve the country's testing capacity. (Photo by Valdemar Rodrigues/Xinhua)
For his part, Lourenco wishes the Chinese people a happy National Day holiday, saying that China is the only major country that has put the epidemic under effective control in a short span of time.
Angola thanks China for providing help to African countries including Angola in fighting the epidemic, he said, adding that he hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in such fields as vaccines, and that Angola attaches great importance to its high-level relations and profound friendship with China, firmly supports China's position on issues concerning its core interests, and welcomes more investment from Chinese enterprises in Angola and broader bilateral cooperation in such fields as economy and trade.
He added that Angola is willing to strengthen mutual support with China in international affairs and to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice. ■