President Hu Jintao arrived in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde on Tuesday, starting his eight-nation Africa tour.

 

Hu's visit, seen as a voyage of friendship and cooperation, is an important follow-up from the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held last November.

 

 

Cameroonian Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni greeted Hu and his accompanying Chinese delegation at the airport.

 

During his stay in Cameroon, Hu will meet with Cameroonian President Paul Biya, discussing the consolidation of friendship and the expansion of cooperation between China and Cameroon.

 

China-Cameroon relations have grown increasingly mature, thanks to improving mutual trust, expanding economic and trade cooperation, and the deepening of human resource exchanges in recent years.

 

In the 36 years since the two countries forged diplomatic ties, China-Cameroon relations have witnessed steady growth through continuous vitality and dynamism, President Hu said upon arrival.

 

The two countries have maintained frequent exchanges at high level and Biya attended last year's Beijing summit.

 

Bilateral economic cooperation has also scored rapid growth. In the first 11 months of 2006, trade between China and Cameroon amounted to US$338 million, or a 101 percent increase year-on-year.

 

Cameroon is the first-leg of Hu's eight-nation tour which will then see him visit Liberia, Sudan, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Seychelles.

 

The trip is "another major diplomatic move by China toward African nations" following the Beijing Summit, Liu Jianchao, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, told a press conference before the visit.

 

At the Beijing summit, Chinese leaders and their counterparts from 48 African countries, agreed to establish and develop a new type of strategic partnership featuring political equality and common trust, mutually beneficial economic cooperation and cultural exchanges.

 

Liu said President Hu's visit will aim to deepen the traditional friendship and realize the agreements reached during the Beijing Summit, including the eight commitments President Hu had made to benefit the African countries.

 

"China believes that Hu's tour would further cement its traditional friendship with Africa, promote substantial cooperation in various fields, and boost its new-type strategic partnership with Africa," Liu said.

 

On Monday, China announced to write off debts owed by 33 heavily indebted and under-developed African countries that have diplomatic relations with China. The debts, in the form of interest-free government loans, matured at the end of 2005.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2007)