On February 2, 2007, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on a state visit to the country to continue his eight-nation Africa tour, which is described as a journey of friendship and cooperation.
At 8:00, local time, Hu's special plane arrived at the Khartoum International Airport. Hu and his wife Liu Yongqing were warmly welcomed by Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir and his wife and other officials at the airport. Al-Bashir hosted a grand ceremony at the airport to welcome Hu's state visit to Sudan.
In a written speech delivered at the airport, Hu pointed out that despite the distance keeping the two countries apart, the friendship between their peoples goes back to ancient times. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 48 years ago, bilateral ties have been developing continuously with effective friendly cooperation in the areas of politics, economy and trade, culture, education and health, he said. The two countries have also maintained close communication and cooperation in international affairs, added Hu.
Hu said during his visit, he will hold talks with his Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir and meet with Sudanese First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Second Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, exchanging views with them on bilateral ties and other major issues of common concern. He expressed belief that this visit will surely help build up the traditional friendship between the two countries and push their friendly cooperation to a new level.
Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and other accompanying officials arrived by the same plane.
Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Zhang Dong and other staff of the embassy also greeted the Chinese delegation at the airport.
Hu arrived in Khartoum by special plane from the Liberian capital of Monrovia after concluding his visit to Liberia.
Sudan is the third leg of Hu's current Africa tour, which has already taken him to Cameroon and Liberia and will also take him to Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, and Seychelles.