BEIJING: China and Tunisia announced the establishment of a strategic partnership on Friday as they committed to strengthen bilateral ties and jointly respond to regional and global challenges.
President Xi Jinping and Tunisian President Kais Saied made the announcement during their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Saied was on a state visit to China. He also attended the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which was held in Beijing on Thursday.
Following their talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of multiple agreements on bilateral cooperation in fields including green and low-carbon development and investment.
Xi told his Tunisian counterpart that China and Tunisia are good friends and brothers.
Over the 60 years since they established diplomatic relations, China and Tunisia have always respected each other, treated each other as equals and supported each other no matter how the international situation evolves, he said.
Noting that consolidating and developing China-Tunisia relations is in line with the fundamental interests and common aspirations of the two peoples, Xi said China is willing to work with Tunisia to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and take the countries’ relationship to a new level.
Xi emphasized that China supports Tunisia in following a development path that suits its own national conditions, and supports it in independently promoting reforms and firmly holding its destiny in its own hands.
He underlined the need for both countries to work together with Global South countries to strengthen unity and cooperation, practice true multilateralism, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and promote inclusive economic globalization that benefits all.
China is willing to work with Tunisia to build the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, injecting new impetus into the development of China-Arab relations and jointly building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, Xi said. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
