President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Shao Hong, also vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, at the presidential palace in Brazzaville, the Republic of the Congo, April 17, 2026. (Xinhua/Zheng Yangzi)

BRAZZAVILLE, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Shao Hong attended the inauguration ceremony of President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso here on Thursday at the invitation of Sassou Nguesso.

On Friday, Sassou Nguesso met with Shao, also vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, at the presidential palace in Brazzaville.

After conveying cordial greetings and best wishes from Xi to Sassou Nguesso, Shao said that the friendship between China and the Republic of the Congo enjoys a long history and has grown stronger over time.

China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations and is willing to work with the Congolese side to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and fulfill their responsibilities as co-chairs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to lead the development of China-Africa relations and strengthen solidarity and coordination among the Global South, Shao said.

Sassou Nguesso asked Shao to convey his sincere greetings to Xi and thanked the Chinese president for sending a special envoy to attend his inauguration ceremony.

He spoke highly of the bilateral relations, stressing that the Congolese side cherishes the traditional friendship between the two countries and is willing to deepen friendly cooperation with China in various fields, strengthen communication and coordination on international hotspot issues, and further advance the building of a high-level community with a shared future between the two countries. ■