By TESFA-ALEM TEKLE
Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki who is in a rare China visit has praised what he called China’s contributions to transform the world order.
According to Eritrea’s ministry of information, President Isaias Afwerki and his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping has held extensive talks Monday evening on enhancing strategic bilateral ties and regional matters.
President Isaias said that the world is embarking on a new international order whose hallmarks are prevalence of justice and mutual respect between peoples and nations.
President Isaias underlined China’s support to struggle of the Eritrean people for independence was of highest significance and impact.
President Isaias paid tribute to China’s historical contributions to humanity in the past 75 years in tandem with the exponential progress it has registered to emerge as pre-eminent economic power from its humble beginnings of an “undeveloped country”
President Isaias also described in broad terms Eritrea’s short, medium and long-term development plans.
President Xi Jinping for his part pledged to advance China’s strategic partnership with Eritrea and applauded Eritrea’s firm adherence to an independent foreign policy.
Jinping underlined China’s opposition to unilateral sanctions and external intereference in Eritrea’s internal affairs.
President Xi Jinping stated that China will enhance its bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, telecommunications, agriculture, mining and fisheries among others as well as investment.
Consultative Mechanism will be established to expedite implementation of the multilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Referred as “Africa’s North Korea”, Eritrea is labeled as one of the world’s most repressive country.
The Red Sea nation has long been criticized by the West for its human rights record, but it is geopolitically important for emerging world powers like China which has a military base next door in neighboring Djibouti.
President Isaias Afwerki’s visit to China comes as China, Russia and the US scramble for political and economic dominance in the volatile Horn of Africa region where the US had a long hegemony.
(The East African Daily)
