Lying under white blossoms in a cemetery in southwestern Dar es Salaam are 69 tombs. They have been there for more than three decades and are a reminder of the strong friendship between Africa and China.

This is the Chinese Experts Cemetery. Within its walls lie the remains of 69 Chinese experts and specialists who lost their lives through accidents and disease during construction of the TAZARA railway in the 1960s and 1970s. President Xi Jinping and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Monday came to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and helped build such strong relations.

Earlier in the morning there was another reminder of just how close the countries are.