Reported by Chikondi Chimala, in Beijing, China
President Lazarus Chakwera met and held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing China.
Chakwera who is in China to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) thanked President Xi Jinping for being a true friend and partner of Malawi as seen from the various levels of support and cooperation between the two countries.
During the meeting, President Chakwera described China as a true partner for Malawi by supporting the country’s development aspirations for a long time.
“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 including timely humanitarian assistance in the wake of climate-related disasters,” said Chakwera.
Chakwera also proposed for the establishment of a technical team comprising of officials from the two countries who will discuss pertinent development issues for the enhancement of cooperation between the two countries.
“Your Excellency, I propose that to further deepen our relations, we have to institute a team of technical officials from our two countries, who will discuss various pertinent issues and report directly to us so that we deepen further our cooperation,” the Malawi leader added.
The President also expressed gratitude to President Xi JinPing for the commitment that the Chinese government has shown to finalize preparatory work for the construction of the Judicial Complex in Lilongwe, following the signing of an agreement between the two governments.
In his remarks, President Xi JinPing said he is ready to deepen relations between Malawi and the Peoples Republic of China emphasizing on the need to elevate relations between the two countries to a strategic partnership.
He also commended President Chakwera’s efforts in bringing development to the people of Malawi and expressed hope that the FOCAC Summit will help in deepening these relations.
The 2024 FOCAC Summit will among others focus on building relations and cooperation in supporting Africas industrialization, energy and trade as a priority including talent development, accelerating agricultural modernization, agenda 2063 of the African Union, modernization and mutual learning among civilizations, political, peace, and security cooperation as well as poverty reduction.
Focac was instituted in 2020 to foster relations between China and the 53 African nations and the African Union (AU) and it is held every six years while the ministers conference is held every three years.
