Zhong Jianhua, China’s Special Representative for African Affairs, on Thursday said he was “satisfied” with the cooperation ties between Angola and China.

The comments were made after a meeting with Georges Pinto Chikoti, the African nation’s Foreign Minister, in Angola’s capital Luanda, local news agency Angop reported.

Mr Zhong told reporters that the friendship between Angola and China was very “deep”. He added that bilateral economic and trade cooperation had significantly advanced in recent years.

The visiting official also acknowledged the development of Angola over the past few years.

Official figures show that Sino-Angolan trade increased 3.2 percent in year-on-year terms in 2014 to US$37.07 billion.