The President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul BIYA, has arrived in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. The special plane carrying the Head of State and First Lady Chantal BIYA landed on Chinese soil on 4 September 2024.
Cameroon's Chief Diplomat will participate in the fourth Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), at the invitation of President Xi JINPING.
The gathering is convened on 4-6 September. It will officially open on Thursday 5 September under the theme: "Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future".
President Paul BIYA, who was elevated in 2018 to the prestigious rank of a "Great Friend of China" by his Chinese counterpart, received an affectionate red-carpet welcome at the Beijing Capital International Airport in the morning.
The welcome ceremony was characterised by the presentation of bouquets to the Presidential Couple, a military guard of honour, and a spectacular display of folk dance, which was animated by a cheerful group of Chinese children.
Prior to this, the Head of State greeted the top officials present to welcome him. The delegation was composed of: Mr Wang HUE, Vice Minister of Housing; Mrs Pang Li CHUEN, Vice President of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party; H.E. Wang YINGWU, the Ambassador of China to Cameroon; H.E. Martin MPANA, the Ambassador of Cameroon to China, and Mrs Solange MPANA, wife of the Cameroonian Ambassador.
President Paul BIYA and First Lady Chantal BIYA were graciously received outside the St Regis Hotel by the Cameroonian Diaspora community in China.
Their patriotic songs and banner messages were eloquent testimonies of contentment to the fruitfulness and steadfastness of President Paul BIYA's remarkable diplomatic vision. This has ultimately guaranteed their successful and peaceful stay in the host country.
The Presidential Couple received a second set of bouquets in the hotel lobby. They were presented by Malikah Zhao and Mbida Etoua Gabriel Barakeel.
This was followed by a series of warm handshakes from the Head of State to his close aides including members of the official delegation, and staff of the Cameroonian Embassy in Beijing.
President Paul BIYA will hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The meeting at the Great Hall of the People is expected to consolidate and strengthen the excellent and longstanding cooperation ties between both countries.
This will be followed by a grand banquet offered by President Xi JINPING and First Lady Peng LIYUAN to the Heads of State and Government attending the 2024 FOCAC Summit. The guests will be accompanied by their spouses.
