GABORONE -- The 17th Chinese medical team will arrive in Botswana in two months, an official said Thursday.

The 40-member Chinese medical team will work in Botswana for two years, Tshepo Machacha, deputy permanent secretary of Botswana's Ministry of Health said at an orientation workshop of 60 Cuban medical specialists in Francistown, Botswana's second-largest city.

For more than three decades, China and Cuba have played a pivotal role in ensuring that Botswana has a sufficient number of health workers in its facilities, Machacha said.

Health care has long been a top priority in China-Botswana cooperation, and the Chinese government not only sends medical teams, but also donates clinical equipment and offers training opportunities to local health professionals.