Angola’s National Defence Minister, João Gonçalves Lourenço, described his recent official trip to China as a fruitful experience. He added it allowed both countries to strengthen co-operation in defence matters, Angolan news agency Angop reported on Sunday.

Mr Lourenço visited China last week at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Fan Changlong. His six-day official visit, including meetings with the Chinese authorities, was aimed at strengthening bilateral co-operation and exchange.

“Friendly Sino-Angolan relations are based on mutual political trust and have become an advantageous co-operation model,” the Angolan Minister said on Sunday, after ending his trip.

Mr Lourenço added – as quoted by Angop – that China was one of the first countries “to understand the difficult post-war situation faced by Angola in 2012”. China had contributed “to the Angolan Government’s effort towards national reconstruction”, he noted.

During his official visit to China, Mr Lourenço and his delegation visited several defence-related factories and educational institutions in Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai. The Minister also visited some Chinese military units.