China is genuine friend—Chakwera
President Lazarus Chakwera has described China as a genuine friend to Malawi after holding a one-on-one bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
This high-level meeting between Lilongwe and Beijing comes a day after Chakwera met Chinese Vice- President Han Zheng who hosted the Malawi delegation to a working dinner.
During the meeting with Xi, President Chakwera, who is among 40 African leaders in China for the 2024 edition of the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (Focac), said China is committed to maintaining open channels of engagement for mutual benefit.
He said: “I must also thank Your Excellency for the continued support in various areas such as debt restructuring, ongoing construction projects, scholarships and capacity-building programmes as well as the various ways your esteemed nation has offered timely humanitarian assistance in the wake of climate-related disasters.”
President Chakwera also said the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a framework guiding China’s infrastructure investment across the globe, presents an opportunity to accelerate implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“In light of this, Malawi eagerly seeks to enhance our railway line connectivity with our neighbours to address the high cost of transportation, given our land-linked status,” he said.
President Xi expressed China’s willingness to deepen relations with Malawi to achieve what he called “strategic partnership”.
He commended President Chakwera for his efforts in implementing transformational development in Malawi.
Besides President Chakwera, Xi has also held bilateral talks with other leaders attending the Focac, including those from South Africa, Guinea, Eritrea, Seychelles, Djibouti, Togo, Comoros, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Focac heads of State summit is expected to open tomorrow at the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square.
