Sierra Leonean president to visit China

FREETOWN -- Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma will visit China at the end of June, the Chinese Embassy in Freetown said on Tuesday.

Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone Kuang Weilin told journalists here that President Koroma was invited by Tsinghua University to attend the World Peace Conference in Beijing, capital city of China.

During President Koroma's visit to China, he is expected to hold bilateral discussions with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and meet some potential investors.

This visit is very significant for both countries this year which marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Sierra Leone.

Trade volume of the two countries from January to October 2012 hit $648 million, 224 percent up from that of 2011. Additionally, China now has 53 companies operating in the mining, trade and health sectors in Sierra Leone.

A Chinese medical team in the West African country has served 390,000 local patients and conducted 6,000 major surgeries, Ambassador Kuang said.