<\/p>\n
By Dong Xue<\/p>\n
DELEGATIONS from dozens of African countries have gathered in the Chinese capital Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (Focac). <\/p>\n
The three-day summit, organised under the theme, \u201cJoining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future\u201d, will be a defining moment for both sides, shaping the trajectory of this vital partnership.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held talks in Beijing as they upgraded bilateral relations into an \u201call-round strategic co-operative partnership in the new era\u201d, according to a joint statement.<\/p>\n
The two leaders agreed their co-operative partnership must be underpinned by \u201cstrong political ties and focused on a prosperous future with balanced trade and accelerated, transformative, economic growth\u201d.<\/p>\n
They reaffirmed that they both \u201ccherish the special and ever-growing friendship between their countries\u201d.<\/p>\n
This meeting marked the fifth time the two leaders met. Last year, Xi visited South Africa for the BRICS summit, where the two sides praised the rapid development of China-South Africa relations since diplomatic ties were established 26 years ago. They noted that bilateral ties are in a golden era due to greater co-operation across many sectors.<\/p>\n
The South African ambassador to China, Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, told CGTN in Beijing: \u201cThe bilateral relationship boasts growing global significance and strategic influence, setting a fine example of developing countries from the Global South working together in solidarity, for purposes of common development.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ambassador said the development goals of the two countries are reciprocal. The AU is implementing its Agenda 2063, a key programme for the continent. China is also pursuing its second centenary milestone, which is equally significant for the country. <\/p>\n
Cwele said Focac serves as a bridge to align these key programmes, facilitating faster progress for both sides. During the meeting with Ramaphosa, Xi said China is \u201ccommitted to expanding solidarity and co-operation with South Africa\u201d. <\/p>\n
He emphasised Beijing\u2019s commitment to sharing its experiences in poverty alleviation, rural revitalisation and building model villages, while supporting co-ordinated urban and rural development in South Africa.<\/p>\n
The two leaders also agreed to work together to \u201cbuild an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the most important thing,\u201d Siyabonga said, \u201cbecause China and Africa, particularly my country and the African continent as a whole, share similar views. We prefer peace and development to war and the fuelling of conflicts. We know you cannot have sustainable development under conditions of conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Dong Xue DELEGATIONS from dozens of African countries have gathered in the Chinese capital Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (Focac). The three-day summit, organised under the theme, \u201cJoining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future\u201d, will be a defining moment for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[12803,970,6959,596,13688,1319],"class_list":["post-218881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-politics","tag-chinaafrica","tag-community","tag-forging","tag-future","tag-highlevel","tag-shared"],"yoast_head":"\n