Malawi president hails fruitful ties with China

Malawi President Peter Mutharika Thursday said Malawi has benefited a lot from the bilateral relations with China.

Mutharika said this during the commemorations of the 60th Anniversary for China-Africa Relations held in Malawi capital, Lilongwe.

Mutharika said the nine-year-old bilateral relations between the two countries have borne fruits in the economic development of Malawi.

"We are fast learning more lessons from China," said Mutharika. "We have learned how China grew from a poor country to the second largest economy in the world in only 30 years. We have learned that when you make hard work a natural culture, you always prosper."

President Mutharika added that from China, Malawians have learned that when a nation believes in itself and its potential, it can grow and be depended upon instead of depending on others.

"We have learned that when we train our youths in skills and development we are sure to grow," observed Mutharika, adding: "We know that with skills and development for the youth Malawi is on the right path.

"We have learned that a nation must be proud of its cultural heritage, and use that heritage to define its natural identity as a source of inspiration for developing and spreading influence to the rest of the world."

The event was marked with cultural dances and sporting activities, including martial arts, performed by the peoples of the two countries.

Commenting on the performances, Mutharika said he was delighted to see that by putting out the best of their cultures, the two countries would continue to learn a lot from each other.

Chinese Ambassador to Malawi Wang Shiting said china will forever be committed to supporting African countries in development.

"China is determined to take its relations with African countries to another level," said Wang. "China and Africa working together will take the world to another level."

In December 2015 during the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation Summit in South Africa, China pledged 60 billion U.S. dollars for development in African countries.
Source:XIBNHUA