On May 22, 2012, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held talks in the Foreign Ministry with visiting Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Louise Mushikiwabo.

Yang said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 41 years ago, bilateral friendly cooperative relations have been developing smoothly. In recent years, both sides have maintained the momentum of high-level exchanges with economic and trade cooperation achieving remarkable results and rapid growth of bilateral trade. Bilateral relations have broad prospects for development. Under the new situation, China is willing to work with Rwanda on the basis of sincere friendship and equal treatment to push the bilateral friendly cooperative relations to a new level. Yang invited Mushikiwabo to attend the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to be held in Beijing this July. China and African countries, including Rwanda, will discuss new approaches and new initiatives to fully deepen the China-Africa friendship and cooperation at the conference. China will work with African countries to promote a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership, said Yang.

Mushikiwabo said the two peoples enjoy profound friendship and share common values which have laid a solid foundation for deepening cooperation. She thanked China for its support and assistance for Rwandan economic development, noting that the Rwandan side regards China as an important partner. Mushikiwabo said African countries together with China have achieved positive results through pragmatic cooperation under the framework of the FOCAC, and Rwanda will actively participate in the Beijing conference. Rwanda is ready to work with China to further develop bilateral relations.

The two ministers also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern