BEIJING, Oct. 15 -- China's president told a visiting West African leader that "wars and unilateral sanctions cannot fundamentally resolve conflicts between countries," and set out four principles for how outsiders should engage with Africa's hotspots.

Xi Jinping made the remarks on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People, in talks with Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, the President of the Council of Togo, according to CGTN's account of the Xinhua report. The two leaders raised ties to a "China-Togo community with a shared future for the new era," and Wang Yi attended, the Chinese foreign ministry's readout says. Togo and China will mark 55 years of diplomatic relations next year.

The principles are short. The first is "Africa-led": the Afri...