Xi to attend opening ceremony of 2024 Summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on Sept. 5 in Beijing and deliver a keynote speech, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Friday.

During the summit, Xi will host a welcome banquet and bilateral events for the leaders of FOCAC's African members and representatives of relevant African regional organizations and international organizations invited to the summit, Hua said.

Themed "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," the 2024 Summit of the FOCAC will be held from Sept. 4 to 6.

"Following the 2006 FOCAC Beijing Summit, the 2015 FOCAC Johannesburg Summit and the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, the upcoming summit is another happy reunion of the friendly family of China and Africa. It is also the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years and attended by the most foreign leaders," Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong told a news briefing on Friday.

Many African leaders, along with chairman of the African Union Commission, will lead delegations to the summit, Chen added, noting that the UN secretary-general will be a special guest, and relevant international and regional organizations will also participate as observers.

According to Chen, this year's summit will feature a welcome banquet, an opening ceremony, and four high-level meetings on state governance, industrialization and agricultural modernization, peace and security, as well as high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. The summit agenda also includes the eighth China-Africa entrepreneurs' conference and other related activities.

In his keynote speech, President Xi will elaborate on new ideas and proposals for building a high-level community with a shared future between China and Africa and announce new actions and measures for practical cooperation with Africa, Chen said.

He added that the summit will also adopt two outcome documents, including a declaration and an action plan, to build major consensus between the two sides and chart a path for implementing high-quality China-Africa cooperation in the next three years.

Chen noted that since the establishment of FOCAC 24 years ago, especially in the new era, FOCAC has always adhered to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. FOCAC has witnessed remarkable achievements, and become a salient hallmark of China-Africa cooperation and a fine example for boosting international cooperation with Africa and deepening Global South cooperation, he added.

Chen noted that this year's summit will forge a broad consensus between the two sides to tackle challenges and create a platform for sharing development opportunities.

According to him, China will take this summit as an important opportunity to join hands with Africa on a new journey of modernization, elevate the China-Africa community with a shared future, and write a new chapter for the friendship between Chinese and African people, while generating strong momentum for advancing global modernization.