Qin Gang: China and Africa Have Entered a New Era of a Stronger China-Africa Community with a Shared Future
2023/05/25

On May 25, 2023, when attending the Africa Day reception in Beijing, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang stressed that over the last decade, guided by the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and of pursuing the greater good and shared interests in developing China’s relations with Africa put forth by President Xi Jinping, China-Africa relations have been growing with the “acceleration button” on, and entered a fast track toward a new era of a stronger China-Africa community with a shared future.

Qin Gang said that China and Africa enjoy closer friendly exchanges, and leaders of the two sides visit each other as often as relatives do. In the past decade, President Xi Jinping visited Africa four times, and two summits of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation were held. In the last six months alone, four African presidents paid state visits to China, and since the beginning of this year, more than ten African officials above the ministerial level have visited China. The Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference and the China-Africa Youth Festival were held. The spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation is as alive as ever across the vast lands of China and Africa.

China and Africa enjoy ever-deepening win-win cooperation, delivering more benefits to the people of both sides. China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. The two sides have together constructed and commissioned over 10,000 km of railway, nearly 100,000 km of highway, and an array of important infrastructure including airports, docks, bridges and power plants. Early this year, Qin Gang attended the completion ceremony of the China-aided project of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention with Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, witnessing a new landmark of bilateral high-quality, practical cooperation to the benefit of the people. These concrete deliverables have greatly promoted economic and social development and improved people's livelihood in Africa.

China and Africa enjoy stronger coordination on international affairs, serving as an important force for international fairness and justice. The two sides champion multilateralism and uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China is a longstanding supporter of the leading role of the AU and Africa’s sub-regional organizations in resolving regional conflicts, and supports the African people in solving African issues in the African way. China has always supported Africa in playing a bigger role on the world stage, and spoken up for Africa at the United Nations and on other multilateral occasions, and is the first country to explicitly support the AU in joining the G20.