Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Edite Ten Jua, foreign minister of Sao Tome and Principe, on the sidelines of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Dakar, capital of Senegal, Nov. 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Yan)
DAKAR, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China and Sao Tome and Principe on Wednesday pledged here to promote their pragmatic cooperation.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Edite Ten Jua, foreign minister of Sao Tome and Principe made the pledge during a meeting in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, on the sidelines of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Noting that China appreciates Sao Tome and Principe's firm adherence to the one-China policy, Wang said since the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, bilateral relations have developed steadily and pragmatic cooperation has continued to advance.
China welcomes Sao Tome and Principe's recent participation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, which will add strong impetus to the development of the African country, Wang said.
For her part, Ten Jua said China is an important cooperative partner of Sao Tome and Principe and the two countries have established strong bilateral relations with fruitful results in agriculture, health and infrastructure.
China treats small countries as equals and wins respect from the international community, Ten Jua said, adding that her country will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China policy.
Ten Jua said she hopes China will prompt the international community to pay more attention to the impact of climate change on small island states.
Wang said China always advocates democracy in international relations and believes that all countries, big or small, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community.
China is firmly opposed to hegemonism and power politics, and is opposed to big players forcing themselves on the smaller ones in state-to-state relations, Wang said.
China will continue to cooperate with other developing countries under the principle of mutual respect and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, Wang said.
Wang that China attaches great importance to the concerns of small island states on climate change, adheres to green, low-carbon and sustainable development, firmly supports the effort to strengthen international cooperation on climate change, and will continue to help small island states better cope with climate change through South-South cooperation. Enditem
