President Xi congratulates AU on 35th summit

By Igho Akeregha

Chinese President Xi Jinping at the weekend congratulated African countries and people on the opening of the 35th African Union (AU) to Summit as he offered more support and cooperation for the continent.

In his congratulatory message to the AU Summit, President Xi pointed out that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the AU’s founding, and that over the past 20 years, the AU has stayed committed to seeking strength through unity, actively explored a development path suited to Africa, facilitated important progress in regional integration and coordinated a concerted response from African countries to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said such efforts have proven effective in maintaining peace, stability, and development in Africa, and have won Africa’s growing influence and stature in the world, Xi said.

The year 2021alos witnessed robust growth in China-Africa relations, Xi stressed.

The Chinese leader noted that the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was successfully held in November last year.

President Xi used the conference to announce nine programs for cooperation with Africa in the next three years, and his administration and African leaders expressed their unanimous support for building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

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Under new circumstances, Xi said China stands ready to work with Africa to actively implement the outcomes of the FOCAC conference, further synergize the Belt and Road cooperation and the Global Development Initiative with the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the construction of the African Continental Free Trade Area, in a bid to steer China-Africa cooperation toward higher-quality and wider-ranging development, and to write a new chapter in China-Africa friendship.