President also has talks on phone with counterparts from Sierra Leone, DRC

China stands ready to continue to work with the International Olympic Committee to support the Tokyo Olympics and strengthen vaccine cooperation with it to jointly ensure that athletes can safely participate in the Games, President Xi Jinping said on Friday.

Xi made the remark in a telephone conversation with IOC President Thomas Bach. He praised the IOC's efforts to promote the robust development of the Olympic Games and fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and said it has provided positive energy to global cooperation against the virus.

Xi said China has been steadily conducting preparatory work for hosting the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

He assured the IOC president that China is fully confident of holding a successful Games as scheduled and it is willing to work along with the IOC as well as the international community to ensure these will be safe and excellent events.

Bach congratulated China on its great achievements in various fields, saying that it has played an important role in leading global anti-pandemic cooperation and economic recovery. The IOC considers collaboration with China as greatly important and wants to intensify vaccine cooperation with it, he added.

He reaffirmed that the IOC opposes politicizing the Olympic Games and fully supports China hosting the Games on schedule. Bach said he is confident that the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will show the world an example of fighting the pandemic, promote the development of winter sports and make significant contributions to the Olympics.

Also on Friday, Xi had telephone conversations with Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Julius Maada Bio, president of Sierra Leone.

While speaking with Tshisekedi, Xi said that it is China's firm strategic choice to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries.

Hailing their bilateral ties, Xi said China supports the DRC in assuming the rotating presidency of the African Union, and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with it to deepen China-Africa cooperation in the fields of free trade zone construction, public health, peace and security, and climate change.

China supports the African continent in implementing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and strives to push for the international community to support African development, he added.

Tshisekedi said his country upholds the one-China policy and remains committed to friendship with China. He thanked China for its anti-pandemic aid and vaccines to African countries and said the African side wants to secure new development in Africa-China relations and in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

In his phone talks with Bio, Xi underlined the need for China and Sierra Leone to carry on their traditional friendship, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and promote common development as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year.

Bio called China a really good friend of Sierra Leone and the African people, and said his country firmly pursues the one-China policy and resolutely supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.