Chinese President concludes Congo trip

Chinese President Xi Jinping has wrapped up his tour of Africa, with the opening of a public hospital and university library in the Republic of Congo’s capital Brazzaville.
The two facilities are among several joint infrastructure projects in the country, that are being driven by Chinese investment and expertise. Xi Jinping’s first overseas tour since taking office, a tour that took him to Russia, Tanzania, South Africa and The Republic of Congo, has been widely hailed a success. The president has now returned to China.
Saturday was President Xi Jinping’s last day in the republic of Congo. But before his departure, a few duties needed to be done.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L, front) and Denis Sassou Nguesso (R, front), the president of the Republic of Congo, attend the completion ceremony of the China-Republic of Congo Friendship Hospital project in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, March 30, 2013. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

First was the official opening of a public hospital, one of the many here that have been funded by the Chinese government.
After a short ceremony that lasted about half an hour, Xi Jinping and his host Denis Sassou Nguesso headed to a university library.
It too has been constructed with the help of China.
Roy Fiwanja, student, said " We’ve had many universities but they didn’t have well equipped libraries. Now we have a grand library, rich in material that we students can use for our research."
The two facilities are among projects that China has undertaken in Congo.
On Friday, president Xi Jinping signed several deals with the Congolese government, two of which include the construction of a river port in president Sassou Nguesso’s home town, and a sea port in Congo’s financial capital of Point Noire, which would export mineral ore shipments.
It has been a busy two days for president Xi Jinping here in the republic of Congo. In less than fourty hours, he has addressed the public, signed several deals with the government of Congo and officially opened two public facilities. Xi Jinping’s departure from Congo Brazzaville marks the end of his maiden tour of Africa as his head of state.