China attaches great importance to its relations with Benin and is willing to take the important consensus of the two heads of state as a guide to drive the relations between the two countries to achieve greater development, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Wang made the comment when he held talks with visiting Beninese Foreign Minister Shegun Adjadi Bakari in Beijing on Thursday.

The two sides should strive to expand practical cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, energy, culture and human resources, Wang said.

Beijing welcomes Benin's active participation in implementing the Global Development Initiative (GDI), he added.

Bakari said Benin is willing to work with China to promote greater development of relations between the two countries and jointly safeguard the interests of developing countries.

Also on Thursday, Wang met with Ahmed Mustafa Fahmy, the new head of the League of Arab States' China representative office, and welcomed him to assume office in China.

"China-Arab relations are currently in the best shape historically," Wang said.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and China will host the 10th ministerial meeting of that forum.

The two sides should take this opportunity to make plannings, and strengthen coordination on issues of common concern, Wang said.

Fahmy said the League of Arab States highly appreciates China's upholding of a just stance on the Palestine question and its strong support for Arab countries.

He felt deeply honored to serve as head of the representative office in China, saying he would do his best to promote the relations with the country.