Tanzanian president's visit to China will boost bilateral ties: FM spokesperson

BEIJING - Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan's upcoming visit to China will inject new impetus into bilateral relations and encourage new progress on friendly bilateral cooperation, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan will pay a state visit to China from Nov 2 to 4.

Spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing that President Hassan will be the first African head of state to be hosted by China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Noting that Tanzania is an important country in East Africa and China and Tanzania enjoy a traditional friendship, Mao said the two countries have deepened political mutual trust, cooperated pragmatically with fruitful results, and have maintained good cooperation on international and regional affairs in recent years.

The principle of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith put forward by President Xi during his visit to Tanzania in 2013 has now become the fundamental principle guiding the cooperation between China and other developing countries, Mao added.

During President Hassan's visit, President Xi will hold a welcome ceremony and a welcome banquet, and the two heads of state will hold talks and jointly attend a ceremony for the signing of cooperation documents, according to the spokesperson.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, will meet President Hassan respectively, Mao said.

"We believe President Hassan's visit will inject new impetus into the comprehensive and profound development of China-Tanzania relations and make new progress in bilateral friendship and cooperation," said the spokesperson.