Qingdao Port and Togo's Lomé Port hold a friendly port signing ceremony on Sept 3. [Photo/Dazhong News]

A delegation led by Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, president of Togo, embarked on a series of visits and exchanges to Qingdao, Shandong province on Sept 3 to deepen cooperation between Togo and Shandong province in areas such as biopharmaceuticals, industrial investment, and port logistics. The ultimate goal of these exchanges is to promote economic development.

During their visit to Qingdao Haier Biomedical Co Ltd, Faure and his delegation had an in-depth tour of the company's outstanding achievements in life sciences and medical innovation. Faure learned about the company's different biopharmaceutical projects in Africa and praised their efforts.

They also visited Qingdao Port, a subsidiary of Shandong Port Group, where they were captivated by Asia's first fully automated container terminal. This world-leading terminal has earned praise from the visiting delegation for its efficient and environmentally friendly operating model.

On the same day, Qingdao Port and Togo's Lomé Port held a port signing ceremony, where both parties agreed to exchanging and cooperating in new energy technology and port intelligence.

Faure said that Shandong possesses enormous industrial advantages and development potential. He commended Shandong's proactive attitude towards international cooperation, particularly its support and assistance to African countries.

He also mentioned that Africa is in the process of establishing a free trade area, aiming to create a unified open market to promote economic development across the continent. Faure is eager to see Shandong enterprises investing in Togo to drive prosperity and development for both sides.