On January 1, 2007, Beninese President Thomas Boni Yayi met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing at the Presidential Palace.

Yayi said Benin and China, which have enjoyed a firm traditional friendship, have carried out fruitful cooperation in trade and economy. The Beninese people will remember forever China's enormous support for the west African nation's economic and social development, said Yayi, adding that Benin supports the one-China policy and China's grant cause of reunification. Yayi said the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), as a great event between China and Africa, will go down in the history of bilateral relations. He hoped that the achievements acquired at the summit will be fulfilled as soon as possible and bring benefit to the peoples of China and all African countries.

Li said the two countries have shared a long-term friendship. President Yayi had attached great importance to the relations between Benin and China since he took office and both sides have witnessed closer high-level exchanges and continuous achievements in such field as trade and economy, said the Chinese minister. He also extended appreciation for the Beninese government's unswerving adherence to the one-China policy. Li said one important mission of his visit was to boost the implementation of significant consensus reached by the two countries' leaders, as well as the 8 measures announced by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which were aimed at supporting Africa's development. The Chinese government, which values its traditional friendship with Benin, is willing to make concerted efforts with Benin to deepen their mutually-beneficial cooperation in various fields, and continuously bring their bilateral relations to new heights, Li added.

Li arrived in Cotonou on December 31, 2006 for an official visit to Benin. During the visit, he held talks with his Beninese counterpart Mariam Aladji Boni Diallo and both sides signed an agreement on economic and technical cooperation between the two governments and other documents. The Chinese minister also attended a ceremony launching construction of a Chinese trade and economic development center and called on Chinese workers at the construction site of the office building of the Beninese Foreign Ministry built with Chinese assistance.