The Chinese leadership is holding marathon meetings and negotiations with various Africa leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
China and Africa vowed to continue expanding cooperation in areas such as the digital economy, the blue economy — which is focused on oceanic resources — and green development, enhancing the alignment of economic and industrial structures and making their cooperation more dynamic, Liu Yuxi, special representative of the Chinese government on African affairs, said.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the forum, the Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the two discussed several areas of cooperation.
Earlier on TUesday Chinese leader President Xi Jinping met with his Zimbabwean counterpart Mnangagwa Emmerson t the Great Hall of the People in Beijing .
The two presidents witnessed the signing of multiple documents on bilateral cooperation in areas such as Belt and Road cooperation, the Global Development Initiative and avocado exports to China.
Xi expressed China’s willingness to work with African countries to make the 2024 FOCAC Summit a milestone event in China-Africa relations in clarifying the direction and path for both sides to advance toward modernization.
This summit, from Wednesday to Friday is the largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years in terms of scale and the number of attending foreign leaders.
“History will not go back to the old days of colonialism and Cold War confrontation. Africa should not become a wrestling ground for major countries,” said, Liu Yuxi, special representative of the Chinese government on African affairs.
He called on the international community to listen to the voices of the continent and adopt an open-minded attitude in supporting its peace and development.
Trade between China and the continent reached $282.1 billion last year, with China’s total investment in the continent reaching $40 billion. China has been Africa’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, and has remained the largest export destination for Africa.
