On July 20, 2012, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang met respectively with Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou and Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai. The two African leaders are in Beijing for a visit and to attend the opening ceremony of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

During his meeting with Issoufou, Li said since the resumption of diplomatic ties 16 years ago, bilateral relations have seen stable, sound development. The two sides have treated each other with sincerity, friendship and equality and supported each other on issues concerning the other's major concerns. They have become good friends and good partners with mutual trust. Both sides have also conducted fruitful cooperation in various fields like economy, trade, culture, education and healthcare and maintained sound cooperation in international affairs, thus safeguarding common interests. China is ready to work with Niger to push bilateral ties to a new level.

Li pointed out that China-Niger cooperation has broken through the traditional mode of taking economic assistance and trade as major ways and their mutually beneficial cooperation with projects playing the leading role is gaining momentum. China will implement the new measures announced by President Hu Jintao at the opening ceremony of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to support Africa's peace and development. China is ready to further tap cooperation potential, further cooperation in energy and natural resources by cementing the existing cooperation. China is ready to explore new methods in funding and support its companies with strength and reputation to invest in Niger so as to achieve mutual benefit and bring benefits to local people.

Issoufou said he appreciated China's long-lasting and disinterested assistance to his country, and China's new measures for cooperation with Africa announced at the meeting. China offered opportunities for Niger's development and Niger will further strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation with China, advance the implementation of projects and upgrade the cooperation level, he said.

During his meeting with Obiang, Li said China and Equatorial Guinea share a profound traditional friendship. The fraternal friendship between the two countries has remained unchanged over the past 42 years. Both sides have built up mutual political trust and achieved new outcomes in cooperation in all areas, and their bilateral ties have shown a sound momentum of all-round development. Li said China is willing to work with Equatorial Guinea according to the proposals on China-Africa cooperation raised by President Hu at the opening ceremony of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, strengthen communication and coordination in terms of each other's major concerns and international affairs. Propelling further development of China-Equatorial Guinea relations serves the common interests of the two countries, Li noted.

Li said that China and Equatorial Guinea are both developing countries and facing heavy development tasks. He said China is ready to continue deepening pragmatic cooperation with Equatorial Guinea and exchange development experience to achieve common development. He hoped that the two sides could explore practical cooperation models and tap new potentials of agricultural cooperation, suggesting that the two countries further cooperate in infrastructure construction, energy and human resources. Li stressed that China has always attached great importance to Africa's development, saying that China will provide assistance to the continent's sustainable development through cooperation to benefit both peoples.

Calling China a reliable and trustworthy partner, Obiang said cooperation with China has brought genuine benefits for the people of Equatorial Guinea. He noted that Equatorial Guinea highly values its relationship with China, and is willing to beef up cooperation with China in various areas such as trade and economy, energy, education, science and technology with efforts to create win-win achievement.