On September 3rd, the 9th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation was held in Beijing. More than 300 African foreign ministers, economic ministers, and representatives from regional international organizations such as the African Union attended the meeting. Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce, Luo Zhaohui, Director General of the National Agency for International Development Cooperation, as well as Fale, Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs of Senegal, and Saar, Minister of Economic Planning and Cooperation, co chairs of the forum. The meeting made comprehensive preparations for the upcoming Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation.
Wang Yi said that the current century long changes are accelerating and the world is entering a new period of turbulence and transformation. The collective rise of the "Global South" represented by China and Africa has profoundly influenced the process of human development. The theme of this summit is "Joining Hands to Promote Modernization and Building a High level Community of Shared Future between China and Africa", which conforms to the inevitable requirements of historical progress and reflects the common aspirations of the Chinese and African people. President Xi Jinping will work with African leaders to draw up a new blueprint for the development of China Africa relations, leading the direction of the "Global South". I believe that with the joint efforts of all members of the forum, this summit will become another historic event to strengthen China Africa solidarity and cooperation, and will set a new milestone for the "Global South" to join hands and move towards modernization.
Wang Yi stated that since the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation was held three years ago, both sides have upheld the spirit of China Africa friendly cooperation, continuously deepened strategic mutual trust under the guidance of head of state diplomacy, continued to inherit traditional friendship, firmly supported each other in pursuing development paths that are in line with their respective national conditions, worked together to implement achievements and measures such as the "Nine Projects", and promoted the acceleration of China Africa relations, the fast lane of China Africa cooperation, and the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Africa to a new level.
We worked together to build the "the Belt and Road", making connectivity more smooth and convenient. China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, with a series of landmark projects and "small but beautiful" projects completed one after another, effectively enhancing the well-being of the Chinese and African people.
We work together to implement global development initiatives, and mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded fruitful results. Continuously increasing investment in the field of people's livelihood, expanding cooperation in new areas, injecting new momentum and opening up new frontiers for practical cooperation between China and Africa.
We join hands to sing the Global Civilization Initiative and strengthen exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations. China has provided nearly 20000 government scholarships to African countries, trained more than 10000 short-term students of various types, and promoted the pairing of 68 universities and vocational colleges in China and Africa. Chinese and African scholars jointly published the "Dar es Salaam Consensus", consolidating the consensus on the modernization development concept of the "Global South".
We work together to implement the Global Security Initiative and create an African led security landscape. China supports Africa in enhancing its peacekeeping and stability maintenance capabilities, promoting the United Nations to provide financial support, and playing a positive role in African security governance. The Chinese government's Special Representative for African Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs have conducted "shuttle diplomacy" 18 times.
We work together to promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and safeguard global fairness and justice. China takes the lead in supporting and promoting the African Union's accession to the G20, supporting the inclusion of new African members in the BRICS cooperation mechanism, and playing a key role in addressing Africa's debt issues within multilateral frameworks such as the G20. China and Africa closely cooperate on global governance and sustainable development, effectively safeguarding the common interests of developing countries.
We work together to polish the "golden signboard" of the forum and continue to release the positive effects of the forum. Both sides keep pace with the times, reform and innovate, ensure the efficient operation of the forum mechanism, and continue to lead the trend of international cooperation with Africa.
Wang Yi stressed that strengthening solidarity and cooperation between the 2.8 billion Chinese and African people will surely inject new momentum into the "Global South" cooperation and open up a Xintiandi for building a community with a shared future for mankind. China will always stand with its African brothers, and its vote in the United Nations Security Council will always be for Africa.
Representatives from Fale, Saar, and various sub regional countries in Africa expressed that the sincere friendship and brotherhood between Africa and China are extremely precious. In 2000, with the joint efforts of both sides, the Forum on China Africa Cooperation was born. For over 20 years, Africa and China have always respected each other, treated each other equally, and achieved mutual benefit and win-win results, changing the fate of Africa and setting an example of international cooperation. Both sides have earnestly implemented the important consensus reached by the leaders of Africa and China, efficiently promoted the full implementation of the results of the 8th Ministerial Conference, and demonstrated the vitality and broad prospects of the high-quality partnership and cooperation in various fields between Africa and China. Thank you to China for firmly supporting Africa in multilateral occasions and speaking out for correcting historical injustice. Looking ahead to the future, there is great potential for Africa and China to jointly build a high-level community with a shared future. The African side is willing to work closely with China to hold this summit, promote the African Union's 2063 Agenda to align with China's "the Belt and Road" and a series of global initiatives, deepen all-round cooperation, achieve common development and prosperity, and bring more benefits to the people of both sides.
Wang Wentao and Luo Zhaohui respectively reported on the implementation of the results of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum, China Africa development cooperation, and China's aid to Africa. The conference reviewed and approved the agenda and draft outcome documents of the summit with warm applause, successfully completing all preparations for the summit.