Xi charts cooperation with African leaders

Ghana's AIIB entry welcomed

China welcomes Ghana to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and join ranks with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on Saturday.

The AIIB now has 87 members.

Xi said China stands ready to seek synergy in development strategies with Ghana, expand bilateral cooperation in various areas and step up cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Akufo-Addo is in Beijing for a state visit and to take part in the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which is being held on Monday and Tuesday.

Noting the long tradition of friendship between the two countries, Xi said the pragmatic cooperation between them has yielded fruitful outcomes since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

China has always seen Ghana as a reliable friend and a good partner, he said. The bilateral ties have played an important role in leading the way for overall ties between China and the continent as a whole, he said.

The two sides should build upon their traditional friendship, inject new momentum and further enrich bilateral relations, he said, adding that the two countries should also conduct more high-level exchanges to further enhance mutual understanding.

The two countries should also strengthen communication and coordination on international and regional affairs to better safeguard the common interests of both, as well as those of developing nations, Xi said.

Akufo-Addo said the Ghana-China friendship, forged by senior leaders from the two sides, is unbreakable. Ghana has also been faithfully upholding the one-China policy.

"The cooperation between our two countries has been excellent, and for the last three years, China is now in fact the largest trading partner of Ghana," he said.

Ghana is willing to deepen bilateral relations with China, actively participate in the building of the Belt and Road, and inject new vitality into bilateral cooperation, he added.

As China marches on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, it is also playing an important role in world peace and development, Akufo-Addo said, adding that China provides an important opportunity for Africa's stability and revitalization.

Ghana will always be China's trustworthy friend in Africa, he said.