Statement bolsters China-Africa ties
China and Burkina Faso announced on Saturday the resumption of their diplomatic ties in a joint statement signed by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Alpha Barry in Beijing.
The West African country became the second nation within a month to break off ties with Taiwan, following the Dominican Republic.
The statement said the resumption of the ties is in line with the interests and wishes of the people in the two countries.
The two governments agreed to develop friendly relations based on the principles of mutual respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity, nonaggression, noninterference in each other’s internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence, the statement said.
The government of Burkina Faso recognizes that there is only one China, that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.
The government of Burkina Faso promises to have neither official relations nor official exchanges with Taiwan, it said.
The African nation announced a decision to sever its “diplomatic” relationship with Taiwan on Thursday.
At a news briefing after the meeting on Saturday, Wang Yi said China highly commended
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the government of Burkina Faso for making the right political decision.
According to Wang, the two sides have agreed to enhance political trust and forge ahead with friendly exchanges and cooperation in various fields to bring substantial benefits to the people of the two countries.
President Xi Jinping welcomes Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to attend the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September and President Kabore has said he is looking forward to the summit, Wang said.
He said the resumption of China-Burkina Faso ties signifies a step forward to a goal that all African nations will join in the big family of friendly cooperation between China and Africa.
Both China and Africa long for early realization of this goal, he said.
“Only one African country has not established diplomatic relations with China and we sincerely hope that this country could soon join in the China-Africa family of friendship,” he said.
Since Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen assumed office two years ago, four countries have cut their “diplomatic ties” with the island and the number of countries having “diplomatic relations” with Taiwan has dropped to 18.