BEIJING, Oct. 8 -- At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, President of the Council of Ministers of Togo Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé will pay an official visit to China from Oct. 9 to 16, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Thursday.

At a regular press briefing, Spokesperson Mao Ning said President of the Council of Ministers Faure is an old friend of China, and this visit will be his seventh official visit to China since he became the president of Togo, which fully reflects the high importance Togo attaches to the bilateral relations.

Mao said that during his visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with him, and Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji will hold talks and meet with him respectively. Faure will also visit Shaanxi, Fujian and Guangdong.

China and Togo are comprehensive strategic partners, and since the two countries established diplomatic relations 54 years ago, their traditional friendship has been growing stronger with time, Mao said.

Both sides firmly support each other on issues related to core interests and major concerns, with fruitful exchanges and cooperation across the board, setting a stellar example of equal treatment between big and small countries and solidarity and cooperation in the Global South, she said.

"We believe that this visit will bring China-Togo relations to new heights and contribute to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era," the spokesperson said.