On March 4th, 2004, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki met with visiting Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Lü Guozeng in Asmara.

Lü Guozeng positively commented bilateral relations between the two countries and expressed his satisfaction with the productive cooperation between the two countries in all areas since the establishment of diplomatic relations. He said China appreciated the long-term adherence to the "one-China" policy by President Isaias and the government of Eritrea as well as their support for China in international affairs. He stressed that China attached great importance to China-Eritrea relations and was willing to promote bilateral relations along with Eritrea.

President Isaias thanked China for its sincere assistance to Eritrea over the years and was pleased to see the continuous developments in bilateral relations between the two countries. He said Eritrea held similar views with China in international affairs and was willing to strength coordination and cooperation with China to protect the interests of developing countries. He reiterated that Eritrea would continue to pursue the "one-China" policy.

Lü Guozeng arrived in Eritrea on March 3rd to start his working visit at the invitation of the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On the following day he held a talk with Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Seid Abdellah and the General Secretary of the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) Alamin Mohammed Said respectively.