On June 23, 2019, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Beijing with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed Isse Awad of Somalia.
Wang Yi said that China and Somalia enjoy traditional friendship and always respect and treat each other as equals. China supports Somalia to restore stability and embark on the path of recovery again. We understand Somalia's urgent desire to accelerate its own development and are ready to explore new ways to conduct mutually beneficial cooperation under the new situation and carry out cooperation in the areas most needed by Somalia such as agriculture, fishery and processing industries. China has always supported Somalia's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and independence, spoken up for Somalia at the United Nations (UN) and other multilateral occasions, called on the international community to increase input in Somalia, and supported the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia and the African Union Mission in Somalia to continue to play an active role. We are ready to continue promoting cooperation with Somalia within the frameworks of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.
Ahmed Isse Awad said that Somalia and China enjoy a time-honored friendship. The two countries have always understood and supported each other for a long time. The Somali side thanks the Chinese side for its support in promoting the peace process and supporting the national reconstruction of Somalia, and looks forward to strengthening exchanges, implementing the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, and advancing cooperation in infrastructure construction and other areas in the process of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative with the Chinese side.
After the meeting, the two sides witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation agreements together.
