The Senior Officials Meeting of the Second Horn of Africa Peace Conference convened in Beijing on Monday, with officials from China and Africa vowing to jointly safeguard peace and build a high-standard China-Africa community with a shared future.

The meeting was attended by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong, Special Envoy for Horn of Africa Affairs Xue Bing, representatives from the Ministry of Commerce and the China International Development Cooperation Agency, as well as senior diplomats and ambassadors from Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

In his opening remarks, Chen highlighted the significant collaboration between China and Horn of Africa countries under the Initiative of Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa introduced over two years ago. He emphasized that this initiative focuses on the three key objectives of security, development and governance, contributing significantly to regional peace and development.

China is committed to being a partner with African countries on the path to peace, guided by the Global Security Initiative to build a comprehensive security framework with a broad vision of peace, said Chen.

"We will continue to be development partners, spearheading the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, and joint build the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality to be pioneers in common development. We will also be partners in justice, actively participating in the reform and construction of the global governance system to safeguard international fairness and justice, and defending the common interests of developing countries, positioning ourselves as forerunners in upholding justice," he added.

Chen emphasized China's willingness to work with Horn of Africa countries to transform the region into a hub of peace, development and prosperity.

Conference participants expressed their appreciation for China's initiatives and the tangible outcomes achieved under the Initiative of Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa. They engaged in in-depth, candid exchanges on the next steps for implementing the initiative and promoting regional peace and development.

All parties agreed to focus on the areas of peace, security, development, cooperation and governance, aiming to achieve new results in bilateral cooperation for the benefit of their peoples.

The Initiative of Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa, proposed by China in early 2022, aims to support countries in the region in achieving long-term stability and prosperity through unity and self-strengthening.