The 40th anniversary of Djibouti-China relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with President Ismail Omar Guelleh to mark the 40th anniversary of China/Djibouti bilateral relations on Tuesday (January 8). In a message, President Xi Jinping recalled President Guelleh’s state visit to China in November 2017 when the two presidents announced the establishment of a bilateral strategic partnership; and President Guelleh’s participation in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit when they reached a new consensus on further ties and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on pushing forward Belt and Road construction.

President Xi Jinping said that in the past 40 years, China and Djibouti had seen a healthy and stable development of their relations, with mutual understanding and support on issues concerning their core interests, in addition to plentiful results of cooperation in various fields. He said he highly valued the development of China-Djibouti relations, and was willing to work with President Guelleh and take the opportunity of the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties to consolidate their mutual political trust, deepen the cooperation in co-building the Belt and Road Initiative, and implement the results of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, to lift their bilateral strategic partnership to new heights.

In his message to President Xi Jinping, President Guelleh said he was satisfied with and was proud of the smooth development of bilateral ties during the 40 years of their diplomatic relationship. He said the November 2017 decision to lift bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership showed the two countries’ resolve to forge closer ties while providing the direction for their economic and trade cooperation. President Guelleh, who underlined Djibouti’s support to the one-China policy, thanked the Chinese government and people for their help and support to Djibouti. He said he would joint President Xi Jinping in efforts to further expand their bilateral relations further.