On the morning of September 2, 2024, President Xi Jinping met with Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who is in China for the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The two heads of state announced the elevation of the China-Djibouti relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Xi Jinping pointed out that President Ismail Omar Guelleh has attended all the summits held by the FOCAC since its inception and is a witness and facilitator of the forum's growth. Xi Jinping said he highly appreciated this and is ready to work closely with Ismail Omar Guelleh to make this summit a complete success.
Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Djibouti, Xi Jinping stressed that over the past 45 years, China and Djibouti have stood side by side in weal and woe, enjoyed mutually beneficial economic cooperation and mutual understanding between the two peoples, setting a good example of South-South cooperation. China is ready to work with Djibouti to carry forward the fine tradition of mutual support, leverage the valuable experience of mutual learning, tighten the bond of interests for win-win cooperation, build important consensus on peaceful coexistence and push for more new achievements in bilateral relations. China is ready to support Djibouti in operating the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, international free trade area and other projects, to establish a commercial, trade and logistics hub in the region. China is also ready to work with Djibouti to operate Africa's first Luban Workshop, so as to help Djibouti cultivate more high-quality personnel needed for economic development. China supports Djibouti in fulfilling its responsibilities as the rotating presidency of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to make new contributions to peace and development in the Horn of Africa and the African region at large.
Ismail Omar Guelleh said that every time he visits China he feels at home and he thanks the Chinese side for its thoughtful and warm arrangements. The Djibouti-China relationship has gone through 45 years, which has been accompanied by the rapid development of China and Djibouti-China relations. He thanked China for providing valuable assistance to Djibouti's economic development and improvement of people's livelihood. The Djiboutian side is satisfied with the vitality of bilateral relations and is ready to continue to push forward important projects like the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway with China and further deepen practical cooperation in various fields. Under the current international and regional situations, Djibouti looks forward to strengthening communication and coordination with China and making joint efforts to promote regional security and development. Ismail Omar Guelleh expressed the belief that the FOCAC Beijing Summit will be a complete success and further boost the development of African countries.
During the summit, China and Djibouti will sign cooperation documents covering such areas as economy, trade, development, aviation and aerospace.
Wang Yi was present at the meeting.
