Premier Li Keqiang met with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 9.

The Premier said Sino-Angolan ties were among the first of China’s relations with African countries. Having had a fruitful meeting with President Xi Jinping, dos Santos’ visit to China will inject new impetus into the relationship, the Premier said.

Li said he was warmly welcomed by dos Santos and his government during his visit to the country last year, and consensus reached then is being actively implemented.

China is willing to utilize its advantages with Angola in a bid to advance the two countries’ cooperation such as in raw material development and project contracting, to cooperation on production capacity and investment, the Premier said. In this way, the countries will be able to tackle the pressure of economic slowdowns, upgrade cooperation and reach a win-win outcome.

Under guidance of their governments, the two sides should promote cooperation in key areas such as petrochemicals, steel, construction materials, textiles and other light industries as well as agricultural product processing, Li said.

The two sides should also expand cooperation in infrastructure construction, such as roads, airports, communications and electricity.

In addition, the countries should also enhance financial cooperation and push forward the development of human resources, so as to provide financial support and talent for production capacity cooperation, he added.

Dos Santos hailed the solid ties between Angola and China as a role model for African countries’ relations with China.

Angola appreciates China’s contribution to promoting the peaceful and steady development of the continent, dos Santos said.

Though the two countries vary in terms of their stages of development, they complement each other, indicating great potential for mutually beneficial cooperation, said the Angolan president.

Seeking economic reconstruction and industrialization, Angola is in an urgent need of expanded investment from China, dos Santos said.

The country is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of infrastructure and business construction, technology and equipment, development experience and personnel training, he added.

Angola also expects to deepen cooperation in the sectors of industry, agriculture, energy and financing, dos Santos said.

The Angolan president also expressed his willingness to promote the Angola-China strategic partnership to a higher level.