Shared growth with Malawi to gain momentum

President Xi Jinping and Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera met on Tuesday in Beijing and announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

Bilateral ties have developed steadily and soundly since China and Malawi established diplomatic relations in 2007, Xi said, adding that the two countries enjoy solid political mutual trust and fruitful mutually beneficial cooperation.

China hopes to further advance its friendly cooperation with Malawi and facilitate shared growth by implementing the outcomes of the 2024 FOCAC Summit, he said.

Xi emphasized that China supports Malawi in exploring a development path that suits Malawi's national conditions, and is willing to share with the African country the opportunities brought by Chinese modernization to assist its development.

China is ready to strengthen cooperation with Malawi in agriculture, telecommunications and infrastructure, and encourages Chinese companies to invest in Malawi, Xi said.

He called on the two countries to make good use of the Confucius Institute at the University of Malawi to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

China supports the smooth operation of Malawi's consulate general in Changsha, Hunan province, and encourages the two countries to strengthen exchanges and cooperation at local levels, Xi said.

He added that China hopes to strengthen coordination with Malawi on international affairs to protect the shared interests of developing countries.

Chakwera said that Malawi sees China as its most sincere friend. Malawi adheres to the one-China policy and supports China in protecting its core interests, he said.

Malawi supports strengthening the FOCAC mechanism, and will take this summit as an opportunity to advance Belt and Road cooperation, boost regional connectivity and deepen friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with China, Chakwera added.

During the summit, the two sides will sign cooperation documents on peanut exports to China, news media development and related to other fields.