China and Africa empathize with and support each other, setting a stellar example of a new type of international relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing on Thursday.
Xi said the founding of FOCAC in 2000 was a milestone in the history of China-Africa relations.
Over the past 24 years, especially in the new era, China has advanced forward hand in hand with African brothers and sisters in the spirit of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, Xi added.
China and Africa have stood shoulder to shoulder with each other to firmly defend each other’s legitimate rights and interests as once-in-a-century changes sweep across the world, said the Chinese president.
China and Africa get stronger and more resilient together by riding the tide of economic globalization, and delivered tangible benefits to billions of ordinary Chinese and Africans, he added.
Xi also noted that China and Africa have shared weal and woe in fighting natural disasters and epidemics together, creating touching stories of China-Africa friendship.