By Nephthali Messanh Ledy, Special Envoy.
Togolese head of state Faure Gnassingbe was received by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday (September 6th), a few hours before his departure for the city of Hangzhou, where his country holds a business forum on Friday.
The second of its kind between the two leaders after the tête-à-tête of July 2016 during the Togolese state visit to China, this bilateral meeting focused in particular on the cooperation between the two countries, and the strengthening of the community of destiny “re-entered the speeches this week.
In their exchanges, Faure Gnassingbe did not fail to “reiterate the need to defend multilateralism against protectionism”, without any other details. He also reiterated Togo’s wish to be the anchor of the Belt and Road Initiative in West Africa, before presenting the three main lines of the National Development Plan (NDP). .
For his part, Xi Jinping congratulated Togo on its march towards progress, for its efforts for inclusive growth, promising to “mobilize its government and the Chinese private sector to support the implementation of the NDP”.
It should be noted that the two countries signed, after this meeting, a memorandum of understanding in the framework of the “Belt and Road” initiative, an unrestricted grant agreement to the benefit of the Togolese State and an agreement to agricultural cooperation.
Prior to this visit, Faure Gnassingbe had participated in a round table with Chinese economic operators with a partnership agreement between the two chambers of commerce of the two countries. This, according to the Togolese delegation, “confirms the orientation of the PND to be financed 65% by the private sector and the willingness of Togo to benefit from the transfer of skills and technologies.”
