Li Zhanshu (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, meets with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in Maputo, Mozambique, May 14, 2018. Li paid an official friendly visit to Mozambique from Saturday to Tuesday. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)
MAPUTO, May 15 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu paid an official friendly visit to Mozambique from Saturday to Tuesday to promote friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
In the capital city of Maputo, Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and held talks with the African country's Speaker of Parliament Veronica Macamo.
During his meeting with President Nyusi, Li conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings. Li said the deep China-Mozambique traditional friendship was rooted in the history of their struggles against imperialism and colonialism, and has grown even stronger in their joint efforts for common development.
Li said China and Mozambique are all-weather friends and that successive leaders of both countries have made great efforts for the friendship. He noted that the bilateral ties has entered a new era since the heads of state of both countries decided to elevate the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2016.
Li said that China will uphold justice and pursue shared interests, and adhere to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith in its Africa policy, as expounded by President Xi Jinping.
China supports Mozambique's efforts to realize independent and sustainable development, and will sincerely help Mozambique to develop and grow stronger, Li said.
The top Chinese legislator briefed on China's experience and practices of achieving economic development while maintaining political and social stability over the past 40 years since the start of the country's reform and opening-up policy. He said these achievements were attributed to the overall leadership by the Communist Party of China, the advantages of socialism, as well as China's development concepts that are people-centered and compliant with its own domestic conditions.
China stands ready to enhance exchanges on governance experience, and implement the important consensuses reached by heads of state of the two countries, Li said, stressing the three major advantages of bilateral relationship, that is, political mutual trust, economic complementarity and people-to-people friendship.
Li said the Chinese side will encourage Chinese companies to invest in Mozambique within the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, in order to turn the bilateral traditional friendship and political mutual trust into more practical cooperation outcomes.
On his part, President Nyusi spoke highly of the achievements China has made in various aspects under the leadership of President Xi since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Nyusi said Mozambique is willing to participate in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and to deepen cooperation with China in agriculture, energy, manufacturing, tourism and infrastructure, so as to bring the bilateral cooperation to an even higher level.
During talks with Speaker Macamo, Li expounded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially the theory of building a socialist democratic political system and briefed on the peolpe's congress system in China.
Li said that the NPC stands ready to maintain friendly exchanges at various levels with its Mozambican counterpart and make sure the cooperation agreements signed between the two sides to be well implemented.
Li also voiced his hope that the Mozambican parliament will play a proactive role in creating a more favorable legal environment so that more Chinese companies will invest in Mozambique due to the facilitation for investment.
Macamo said that the Mozambican parliament will enhance comprehensive dialogues with China's NPC, support each other on issues concerning their core interests, and make efforts to ensure that the legislative body serves as a constructive force in promoting the development of the ties between the two countries.
Mozambique was the second stop of Li's visit to three African nations. He previously visited Ethiopia and will visit Namibia afterwards. When Li arrived in Mozambique on Saturday, he first attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Mozambican Hero Square in Maputo.
During his stay in Mozambique, Li also attended a symposium that gathered executives of Chinese companies operating across Africa. He urged the companies to uphold justice and pursue shared interests, and follow the policy of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith put forward by President Xi. The top legislator urged the companies to shoulder social responsibility during operations, respect local laws and customs, and make greater contributions towards China-Africa comprehensive friendly cooperation.
Li also attended the opening ceremony of this year's joint conference of the Confucius Institutes in Africa. In his address at the conference on Monday, Li said that the Confucius Institutes not only belong to China, but also belong to the world.
Li said he hopes the Confucius Institutes in Africa will always focus on China-Africa friendship, knowledge sharing and cultural exchanges, urging the Confucius Institutes to introduce Africa to more Chinese people while promoting China's culture and telling China's true stories in Africa, as a messenger for China-Africa cultural exchanges.
During his stay in Maputo, Li also attended the cornerstone-laying ceremony of the Mozambique-China Cultural Center and the teaching building of a Confucius Institute and the communication and art school at the Eduardo Mondlane University, and the launching ceremony of the Mozambique part of the Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages Project, and visited a China-Mozambique pilot center of agricultural technology and the suspension bridge over Maputo Bay assisted by the Chinese side.
