At the invitation of the parliament of Benin, Shao Hong, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, led a CPPCC National Committee delegation to visit Benin in December 2019. President of Benin Patrice Talon met with the delegation on Dec 17 in Cotonou, the largest city of the country.

Shao said Benin is traditionally a friend of China and one of the country's important partners in West Africa. China values its ties with Benin and respects and supports the development path chosen by the government and the people as suitable for the conditions of the country. Under the principles of mutual respect and mutual benefits, China is willing to work with Benin to carry out fruitful collaborations and promote bilateral ties to a higher level by implementing the important consensuses reached by the leaders of the two countries and those reached at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Shao introduced the spirit of the central conference on the work of the CPPCC. He also introduced the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Talon highly spoke of the friendly ties between the two countries and expressed his congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of PRC and the 70th founding anniversary of the CPPCC. He said he expects more high-level exchanges between the two countries and hopes to deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields in a practical manner and promote high-level development of Sino-African cooperation.

Shao also held talks with Louis Vlavonou, president of the National Assembly of Benin, and other legislators.