Ashly Dhani
On July 23, 2024, Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong paid a courtesy call on Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in Dakar.
Chen Xiaodong said, China and Senegal are comprehensive strategic cooperative partners. The two sides firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, and have achieved fruitful results in various fields such as trade, investment, agriculture, and infrastructure construction. Under the strategic guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, China is ready to work with Senegal to strengthen high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, enhance international coordination, and continuously elevate bilateral relations to new heights. This autumn, the new summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held in Beijing. China welcomes President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, as the head of state of the African co-chair of the Forum, to attend the summit and visit China. Chen Xiaodong believes that the summit will be a complete success with the joint efforts of China, Senegal, and other members of the forum. Chen Xiaodong also introduced the relevant information about the recently held Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye said, Senegal greatly admires China's tremendous development achievements under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, and is ready to learn from China's experience in governance. Bassirou Diomaye Faye speaks highly of the China-Senegal relations, and reiterates the new Senegalese government's commitment to the one-China principle. He looks forward to visiting China to attend the FOCAC summit and paying an official visit to China upon invitation this year to deepen mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation in various fields, and to promote new significant development in Senegal-China relations and Africa-China relations. Bassirou Diomaye Faye also congratulated on the successful convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.
On the same day, Chen Xiaodong also met with Senegalese Foreign Minister Yassine Fall and had an exchange of views on China-Senegal relations, the FOCAC summit and issues of mutual interest and concern.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.
Bongani Ndlovu