Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong has stated that now is “the right time” to enhance cooperation ahead of the upcoming China-Africa summit in Beijing next month, according to Africanews.
Chen told a press conference on Friday that China and Africa should use the meeting to voice the Global South‘s stance on global governance.
Currently, a once-in-a-century change is accelerating and the world has entered a period of turbulence and transformation. China and African countries are both important members of the Global South, and Africa is experiencing a new awakening by actively promoting the process of unity, self-improvement, and integration.
Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the opening of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on 5 September, the country’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday. Xi would deliver a keynote speech to announce a new aid package for Africa, Chen stated.
Representatives from the 53 African countries that form FOCAC will attend the three-day summit. It will be the fourth meeting of this format since 2006.
China is Africa’s largest trading partner and an important source of investment. Africa is also a crucial part of the Chinese president’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
