Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 50 years ago, China-Sierra Leone friendship has been sailing smoothly, with both countries always treating each other as good brothers, good friends and good partners in the spirit of mutual respect, mutual support and win-win cooperation. With the joint efforts of both governments and peoples, China-Sierra Leone friendly cooperation has been constantly enhanced, yielding satisfactory results and becoming a model of China-Africa cooperation and South-South cooperation.
China-Sierra Leone friendship is just like the iconic cotton tree in the center of Freetown, time-honored yet flourishing and thriving. The past 50 years have witnessed the deepening of our mutual political trust. Fifty years ago, the visionary leaders of our two countries made the historical decision to establish diplomatic relations. In , this relationship was elevated to the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. In , H. President Xi Jinping invited H.
During this visit, the two heads of state reached important consensus on developing our bilateral relations and initiated a new phase of our cooperation.
In May this year, the two heads of state held a telephone conversation, which further pointed the way forward for the development of our friendly relations. Over the years, no matter how dramatic the international architecture evolves, China and Sierra Leone have always respected each other in pursuing its own development path. The two sides have always supported and understood each other on issues of core interests and major concerns, and have always maintained close communication and coordination on international issues.
China has provided assistance to Sierra Leone to the best of its ability with no political strings attached. The past 50 years have witnessed the growth of our win-win cooperation. After decades of joint efforts, the economic and trade cooperation has been constantly expanded with new contents and higher quality, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples. Our bilateral trade volume reached about million USDs in and China has been the largest trading partner for Sierra Leone for ten consecutive years.
