China committed to promoting partnership with Africa

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the opening ceremony of the 18th African Union (AU) Summit and made an official goodwill visit to Ethiopia from Jan. 27 to Jan. 29.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun said this is the first foreign visit by a Chinese leader in 2012, the Chinese Year of the Dragon, and is of great significance in deepening China-Africa new strategic partnership and promoting solidarity and cooperation among developing countries.

The AU is the most important and representative inter-governmental organization in Africa and Ethiopia has great influence on the continent. Having profound traditional friendship with China, both of them are the country's important partners in African and international affairs. China-AU comprehensive strategic partnership and China-Ethiopia comprehensive cooperative partnership have witnessed rapid development in recent years. Under new circumstances, the three sides are more than willing to further enhance solidarity and cooperation.

The China-African Union relations and China-Ethiopia relations are reflections of the friendly and cooperative relationship between China and Africa. In the past more than 50 years, China and Africa always supported each other in their national liberation movements and sincerely cooperated with each other in their development processes and worked with each other in dealing with international affairs, and have established a profound friendship.

In the 21st century, the establishment and development of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, especially the successful Beijing Summit of the forum, have started a new chapter of the new strategic partnership between China and Africa.

The political, economic and cultural cooperation between the two sides have reached unprecedented depths and widths. The exchanges, communications and friendships between the people of the two sides have also strengthened significantly. China and Africa have been strengthening their cooperation in the fields of dealing with global challenges including the climate change, pushing forward reforms of international financial and economic systems and promoting the democratization of international relations for a long period, and have safeguard their common interests effectively.

The development of the China-Africa relations has exceeded the scope of bilateral relations and is significantly affecting the global development course.