China and Djibouti yesterday agreed on the establishment of a bilateral strategic partnership and the strengthening of cooperation in all areas. The announcement came at the margins of a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Djibouti counterpart, Ismail Omar Guelleh, on an official visit to Beijing. Guelleh is the first African leader to visit China after the 19 Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which was held last October. During the summit yesterday, China's press reports, Xi stressed the importance attached by Beijing to relations with the small African country, hosting the first Chinese military base overseas. The Chinese president stressed the respectful and fair nature of bilateral relations, inaugurated by the two countries 38 years ago. During the summit, Xi and Guelleh agreed to co-operate to accelerate the implementation of the agreements reached during the Johannesburg Summit of China-Africa Cooperation Forum (Focac) in December in 2015. The two countries intend to promote the project of the New Silk Road; Beijing, said Xi, welcomes the African country's participation in the ambitious project and is ready to advance infrastructure cooperation through the construction of railways, ports, aqueducts and gas pipelines, as well as working on the creation of free trade areas and cooperation in agriculture.Guelleh, who will end his visit to Beijing today, expressed satisfaction with the state of bilateral relations and thanked China for the development assistance of Djibouti. The president reiterated that his country intends to play an active role in the New Silk Road project, called Djibouti "a good friend of China" and added that the latter is "a priority and an indispensable partner". Guelleh also praised Beijing for her active role in the UN peace missions, and in particular for her efforts to counteract the piracy phenomenon.