The Tunisian Health Ministry held a welcoming ceremony Sunday for a new Chinese medical team that arrived in the northern African nation earlier in the day.

At the ceremony, Tunisian health officials expressed appreciation of China's assistance for Tunisia in healthcare.

The two countries are continuing to strengthen their cooperation, especially in medical and health services, an official of the ministry said.

The Chinese doctors have won the friendship and trust of the Tunisian people with their high-level medical skills, the official said.

Liu Baogui, a Chinese diplomat in Tunis, said the Chinese doctors in Tunisia have made contributions to the development of Tunisia's medical services and the friendship between the two peoples.

Chinese medical teams have become an important element in cooperation between the two governments, he said.

China has sent 17 teams of doctors numbering more than 700 to Tunisia since 1973. Millions of Tunisian patients have been treated by the Chinese doctors.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2008)