Photo: VCG

Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspected South China's Hainan Province and met with Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire Patrick Achi and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva, stressing China's high-level opening-up and firm support for multilateralism and global cooperation.

Li will attend the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2023 and deliver a keynote speech on Thursday, his first address at the major Asian forum as Chinese premier, drawing widespread attention from around the world.

In Haikou, the provincial capital, Li visited the site of the Haikou Xinhai ro-ro passenger terminal project and listened to briefs on the progress made in building an independent customs operation. He also visited an elderly care center and a hospital, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

During the inspection tour, Li stressed the need for reform and opening-up and for progress in building the Hainan Free Trade Port with high quality and high standards. He also called for a people-centered development philosophy, and greater efforts in elderly care and medical care and other work related to improving quality of life, Xinhua reported.

In Boao, Li met with Achi, who is also attending the BFA annual conference. Li said that China views Côte d'Ivoire as an important cooperation partner and stands ready to lift bilateral ties to a new stage.

During the meeting, Li also told Achi that China is willing to strengthen coordination of development plans with Côte d'Ivoire and support Côte d'Ivoire's agricultural and industrial development. China will continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Cote d'Ivoire, while expanding cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure, digital economy, new energy, green development and other fields.

Also in Boao, Li met with Georgieva. He said that China's economy has shown a stable recovery trend since the beginning of this year and that China has the confidence and capability to complete its development goals and tasks for the year, according to China Media Group (CMG).

During the meeting, Li also called on the international community to adhere to multilateralism and to safeguard stable and smooth global industrial and supply chains.

Georgieva said that China will contribute more than one-third of global economic growth this year and the IMF appreciates China's adherence to multilateralism and its important contribution to preventing debt crises in developing countries, according to the CMG.

Li's inspection tour of Hainan and the diplomatic meetings on Wednesday come a day before he is set to deliver an address at the opening ceremony of the BFA's annual conference this year.

This year, the BFA annual conference returns to its traditional in-person format for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference has attracted more than 2,000 representatives from over 50 countries and regions around the world. A series of meetings and discussions on promoting regional and global cooperation have taken place since Tuesday.

Li's address at the opening ceremony is highly anticipated, as many foreign political and business leaders from around the world are keen to hear about China's domestic economic policies, its plans for greater opening-up and solutions for enhancing regional and global cooperation.

"We would like to hear more about China's plans for further reform," Danilo Türk, former president of Slovenia and a member of the BFA Council of Advisors, told the Global Times. "We are very interested, and I hope that he will give more detail on further opening-up."