Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, held a working meeting this Friday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, with a view to strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
When speaking at the meeting, the Angolan Head of State said that bilateral relations of friendship and economic cooperation are good and exemplary, although he recognizes the existence of great potential to be explored and harnessed for the benefit of both countries and nations.
João Lourenço expressed his intention to see an increase in cross-private investment, that is, Chinese in Angola and Angolan in China, especially now that the Investment Protection and Reciprocal Promotion Agreement has been approved and entered into force.
According to the Statesman, although it is understood that private investment must have priority, Angola presented to the Chinese Prime Minister its interest in seeing three public infrastructure projects financed.
This involves the construction of the Lobito refinery and the Luanda Surface Metro, both self-sustainable, as well as a large military infrastructure – Air Base number 1 -, as a way of taking advantage of the existing capabilities of the Chinese company AVIC, which completed , with success, the construction of the Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport, in the province of Luanda.
In the international sphere, the Angolan President welcomed the fact that the two countries share the same principles and values in matters of foreign policy, especially with regard to the need to respect and comply with international law as set out in the Charter of Nations United, the principles of non-aggression, respect for Independence and defense of Sovereignty and State borders, peaceful resolution of conflicts and non-interference in the internal affairs of States.
Angola, he said, defends the principle of one China and Taiwan as an integral part of Chinese territory, an issue that must be resolved by peaceful means, as happened with Hong Kong and Macau.
“The world is going through a moment of great tension on at least three continents. In Africa, we are experiencing a bad moment in which terrorism coexists with constitutional changes in West and Central Africa, the Horn of Africa and in two SADC countries, which It is truly worrying”, lamented the President.
He said that the wars in Europe and the Middle East have practically forgotten the conflict in Sudan, a country on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with a high number of human casualties that could increase with hunger and disease, internally displaced people, refugees and great destruction. of infrastructures.
Peace in Ukraine
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, he said that, after more than two years, it is imperative to put an end to the war, which must necessarily end around a conversation table to achieve definitive peace and guarantee the national sovereignty of that European country..
Regarding the Middle East, João Lourenço said that the catastrophic humanitarian situation obliges everyone to defend the restitution of the Israeli hostages, the immediate end of the disproportionate military offensive by the Israeli Army against the defenseless populations of the Gaza Strip.
He defended the end of the settlements and the definitive end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the creation, in fact, of the State of Palestine that is internationally recognized, the only definitive solution to bring freedom and dignity to the Palestinian people and truly guarantee the security of Israel and of the people of that troubled region of the planet.
“The latest events in the international arena have confirmed the urgent need to make profound reforms in the United Nations system, in its financial institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, but above all in its Security Council , as they have proven over time to be out of date in the context of today’s world, almost eighty years after the end of the Second World War”, highlighted the Angolan President.
From his point of view, the challenges of universal peace and security, food security, and environmental defense in today’s world require realistic analysis and courageous and pragmatic solutions from world leaders within the framework of multilateralism.
He highlighted, on the other hand, that the role and weight of the People’s Republic of China must always be taken into consideration in the configuration of a new world order in favor of world peace and security, justice, social progress and economic development of nations.
“As it is not possible to detail at this meeting all the points of convergence between our countries, on the way we see the world today and the joint path to follow to build a better world, we decided to approve a Joint Declaration that reflects our shared vision about the biggest issues of the day”, he said.
Agreements relaunch cooperation
At the end of the meeting, the two Presidents witnessed the signing of a set of legal instruments aimed at strengthening cooperation between both countries, related to the sectors of sport, trade, agriculture, sustainable development, digital infrastructures, among others.
Today, the Angolan Head of State laid a wreath at the monument of the people’s heroes, located in Tiananmen Square, also known as Tiananmen.
President João Lourenço has been in the capital of the People’s Republic of China since Thursday, leading a ministerial delegation that will discuss the new terms of bilateral cooperation.
For three days, delegations from Angola and China will reassess the instruments governing bilateral cooperation and identify new areas for strategic partnership outside the domain of oil, Angola’s biggest currency.
Before the meeting with Xi Jinping, João Lourenço met with the President of the National People’s Assembly (Parliament), Zhao Leji, and with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang.
João Lourenço’s visit will run until Sunday.
The two States have a long history of cooperation, which is based on different areas, such as oil, health, infrastructure, staff training, among others.
Angola and China are strategic partners, with political-diplomatic and cooperation relations that have seen a notable increase since 2000, enabling the signing of several legal instruments in the social, commercial and business domains.
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