BUJUMBURA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- A China-Burundi friendship walk hosted by the Chinese Embassy and the Burundi-China Friendship Association (ASIBU) was held Saturday in Bujumbura, the Burundian commercial capital.

Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jiangping, ASIBU Chairman Ferdinand Nderagakura, Ernest Niyokindi, director of bilateral relations at the Burundian foreign ministry, and other Burundian officials and members of the Chinese community took part in the event.

Teachers from the Confucius Institute, members of the Chinese medical team and staffers from the Chinese embassy also joined the walk, covering about five kilometers between Boulevard Mao, which was named after Chinese leader Mao Zedong, and the Kigobe Professional School, which was built with Chinese support.

In her remarks, Zhao expressed the hope that Chinese and Burundian non-governmental friendship organizations would give full play to their role in promoting people-to-people exchanges and helping advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Nderagakura thanked the Chinese embassy for its support since ASIBU's establishment in 2007, saying the association will continue to promote sports and cultural exchanges, contributing to stronger friendly ties between the Burundian and Chinese peoples.

Niyokindi, the Burundian foreign ministry official, commended the "historic and excellent relations" between the two countries.

"Those relations have withstood multifaceted hazards because they are built on solid foundations of solidarity and sovereignty, of mutual respect and of win-win cooperation," he said.

Burundi and China established diplomatic relations in 1963. Main areas of cooperation include infrastructure, energy, health, education, and sports and culture. Enditem

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