Chinese President Xi Jinping at the backstage of the FOCAC Summit on Monday held a diplomatic relations meeting with African leaders who are currently in the country to participate in the Summit.
President Xi was in the company of many African leaders, including Mali, Togo, Eritrea, South Africa, Congo (DRC), Seychelles, Djibouti, Guinea, and Comoros, as the region seeks to enhance ties with China in the long run.
China and Africa have maintained a close relationship over the years, with the Chinese government expanding its economic value to African suburbs as they seek to build momentum in their diplomatic ties, which have risen significantly for decades now.
President Xi reiterated China’s commitment to open its diplomatic ties to African countries at the wider level during a meeting with President Ramaphosa of South Africa on Monday.
He expressed China will enhance ties with South Africa and other African countries to create a new atmosphere between the continent and China by promoting high-quality development through FOCAC.
Xi added that the Global South countries will maintain independence and strengthen unity and cooperation as the international situation becomes more complex over the hegemony upheld by some superpowers.
Meeting with the Malian President, President Xi expressed China’s support towards the African right to self-independence and their ability to determine their future, adding that Beijing is willing to work with Mali and other African countries to support each other in pursuing modernization paths suited to their national conditions.
In a statement made available by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Ministry added that the theme of the Summit is aimed at enhancing modernization and maintaining a high level of the China-Africa Community with a shared future.
The FOCAC Summit is seen as a step ahead for the cooperation between China and Africa, as the African leaders perceive China as a harbinger of achieving modernization.
China is advancing in both technology and economy, and analysts have predicted the cooperation between China and Africa to be of mutual benefit to them.
