With the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled to be held in the second half of 2024 in Beijing, China will be rolling out the red carpet for African leaders this year in an effort to boost China-Africa cooperation and friendship. In this edition of Leaders Talk, CMG's Wang Guan sat down with Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, during his state visit to China from February 27 to March 2. Bio's visit, the first by an African country's head-of-state in 2024, has been an occasion to reaffirm that China is "a reliable and dependable partner." China is not only Sierra Leone's largest trading partner, but Chinese culture is also commonplace, Bio remarks. Reflecting on China's development, Bio says that discipline and orderliness are China's hallmarks and that Chinese President Xi Jinping has remained focused on his vision for China. He notes that China is not in a predatory relation with Africa and believes that President Xi's global initiatives will "refocus" the world on peace and development.