China-Africa relations: Breaking new ground in the new era

Ahead of the the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China's State Council Information Office issued a white paper titled "China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership of Equals" on November 26.

The white paper documented fruitful results that China-Africa cooperation has delivered and in the new era and provided a perspective on future cooperation between the two sides.

Here are the highlights of the forth section “Breaking New Ground in China-Africa Relations”.

“Covid-19 further shows that the fates of all countries in the world are interconnected,” said the white paper, noting that China and Africa need to further consolidate their partnership, and build a China-Africa community of shared future in the new era.

-Boosting Cooperation Through FOCAC

During the upcoming FOCAC, China will work closely with Africa to align China’s Second Centenary Goal of building a great modern socialist country by the middle of the century with the AU’s Agenda 2063. Together the two sides will plan and discuss the outcomes to be adopted at this FOCAC meeting regarding such key areas as health, investment and trade, industrialization, agricultural modernization, climate change responses and digital economy, and both will make every effort to produce a meeting that will build new consensus, explore new fields of cooperation, and be of benefit to both the Chinese and African peoples.

-Promoting Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative

Currently, both China and Africa have entered a new stage of development. China is promoting a new development paradigm with domestic economy and international engagement providing mutual reinforcement, and the former as the mainstay. China’s development will create more opportunities for Africa’s development. With the official launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Africa’s economic integration is accelerating, providing more room for growth in China-Africa cooperation. The two sides will focus on boosting quality development and further align the goals of the Belt and Road Initiative with those of the AU’s Agenda 2063, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the development strategies of individual African countries. They will build the Belt and Road into a road to peace, prosperity, openness, green development, innovation and cultural exchanges, and create a China-Africa community of shared future in the new era.

-Raising China-Africa Relations to a New Level

The key to the vitality of China-Africa relations is keeping abreast of the times and developing and innovating relationships. For more than half a century, at every critical juncture, the two sides have employed far-sighted vision and always succeeded in finding new common ground and growth drivers. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Foreign Affairs, China will adhere to the principles of sincerity, affinity, good faith and practical results, uphold the values of shared interests and the greater good, and work together with African countries to advance high-quality cooperation and build a China-Africa community of shared future. China will work closely with Africa to raise mutual political trust to a new level, combat Covid-19 and build a China-Africa community of health for all, boost common development and nurture new drivers for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote closer international cooperation to establish a fairer and more equitable international order.