Tibetans thank African leader

A teacher helps a Tibetan student with her headdress as they wait outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing before a welcoming ceremony for Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso on Thursday. Feng Yongbin / China Daily

Republic of Congo helped students rebuild school after 2010 earthquake

In addition to the 21-gun salute and guards of honor parade, Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso had some special guests during the welcoming ceremony President Xi Jinping held for him on Thursday.

The guests were 18 Tibetan students who had traveled all the way from Qinghai province to thank the foreign leader who changed their lives.

Congo, one of the world's least-developed nations, donated money to build a primary school in Qinghai's Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit the region in April 2010. More than 2,000 people died in the disaster.

"We are excited to see President Sassou Nguesso. We know Congo is not rich, but it helped us rebuild our school when we were in urgent need of help," said Sonam Nyima, a teacher.

"We are very grateful. That's why we have come here to thank the president."

At the start of their talks in the Great Hall of the People, Xi called Sassou Nguesso an "old friend" of China, who is making his 13th visit.

Sassou Nguesso's first visit to China was half a century ago, in August 1964.

The close and steady relationship was also marked when Xi visited the central African nation in March 2013, on his first overseas trip since taking office.

China is currently the Republic of Congo's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $6.49 billion in 2013.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of deals on Thursday, including one for the Agricultural Bank of China to build a joint venture bank in Congo.

Sassou Nguesso started a nine-day state visit to China on Wednesday. He will also visit Guangdong province and Shanghai to attend the World Culture Forum.

Li Zhibiao, a researcher of African studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Sassou Nguesso has kept good relations with generations of Chinese leaders.

Congo donated $1 million after the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan in May 2008.

He Wenping, head of African studies at the CASS, said Sassou Nguesso's scheduled visit to Guangdong shows that he is eager to learn from China's experience in developing special economic zones.

"Still, his reported plan to visit telecom giants ZTE and Huawei reflects the country's commitment to push forward infrastructure construction, including its telecommunications network."