Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming Visits Madagascar

BEIJING, China, March 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- From February 27 to March 2, 2014, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming paid a visit to Madagascar. He met with President Hery Rajaonarimampianina of Madagascar and held talks with Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Victor Manantsoa.

Zhang Ming congratulated Hery Rajaonarimampianina on his assumption of office as the new President of Madagascar and Madagascar's completion of political transition process. He said that China and Madagascar enjoy a time-honored friendship. Since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship in 1972, the bilateral relations have enjoyed smooth development, with fruitful cooperative results yielding in various fields. The friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have never been suspended despite of the changes of the political situation in Madagascar in recent years. Madagascar is currently standing at a new starting point of national development and China-Madagascar relations will also embrace new opportunities. China is willing to join efforts with Madagascar to comprehensively promote friendly cooperation in all fields, so as to promote a better and faster development of China-Madagascar relations and to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

The Madagascan side extended warm welcome to Zhang Ming for his visit to Madagascar on the occasion of its completion of political transition process, and thanked China for its long-term and sincere help in Madagascan economic and social development and its support to the process of the settlement of Madagascar's political crisis. The Madagascan side attaches great importance to Madagascar-China relations. It also expressed the willingness to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields of agriculture, energy and infrastructure, and welcomes the Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Madagascar.