For a diplomat, wherever he works, the job will be a mixture of happiness and
hardship.
But despite his difficulties in the continent, Foreign
Minister Li Zhaoxing looks back on his time in Africa fondly.
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Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing signs a book when receiving a
group of students visiting the ministry on Saturday.
[newsphoto]
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Li can still remember the beautiful Kenyan landscape, where he spent seven of
his nine years in Africa, and the pain of malaria, which he caught while living
there.
Talking to a group of university students on Saturday, Li revealed his
ongoing love and support for Africa.
He said that despite the continent's tough living conditions, Africans had
genuine and sincere feelings towards the Chinese, and he greatly enjoyed living
there.
"We can never forget the help the African people have given us, and our two
peoples have forged a deep friendship over the past 50 years," said Li, noting
the significant support African nations had given China in resuming its United
Nations seat in 1971.
Li has been to 47 of the 53 African nations and plans to continue working to
strengthen the continent's bonds with China.
This year is memorable in the history of China-Africa relations, marking the
50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and
African countries.
And Beijing will hold the China-Africa Co-operation Forum next week, a grand
gathering attended by more than 40 African leaders.
Li offered the students the chance to work as volunteers at the summit,
ensuring the meeting runs smoothly.
He also called on Chinese people to seek common development and prosperity
with their African friends, deepening and consolidating the traditional
friendship between Africa and China.
Well-known as a "poet diplomat," Li concluded his African discussion with a
verse in Chinese: 'making true friends on an equal footing and modelling oneself
with a manner of honesty.'
Li, who has served as a diplomat for 43 years in the Foreign Ministry
received about 180 university students from 12 universities on Saturday, the
ministry's open house day.
