Foreign officials: President Xi's speech outlines new blueprint for China-Africa cooperation

Foreign officials attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) have hailed Chinese President Xi Jinping's keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the summit.

They said President Xi's speech outlined a new blueprint for China-Africa cooperation in the new era, and charted the course for China and Africa to jointly advance modernization and build a high-level community with a shared future.

"President Xi's speech has not only reiterated China's firm support for Africa's development, but also demonstrated the strong friendship between China and Africa," Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara told China Media Group (CMG).

The speech has also shown China's strong willingness to join hands with Africa towards modernization, he said. "We are full of expectations for the bright future of China and Africa."

Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of Kenya, Musalia Mudavadi, noted that President Xi proposed in his speech to elevate the overall characterization of China-Africa relations to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, sending a crucial message to the world.

Ahmed Mustafa Fahmy, head of the League of Arab States' China representative office, told CMG that Xi's speech demonstrated the determination of China and African countries for common development and win-win cooperation.

"China has always been committed to contributing to the common progress and coordinated development of all countries in the world, which impressed me deeply," he said.

Foreign officials also spoke highly of a series of important initiatives proposed by President Xi, expressing their belief that China will provide new opportunities and inject new momentum for China and African countries to advance modernization.

Commending China's remarkable achievements in modernization, Tunisian Minister of Industry, Mines, and Energy Fatma Thabet Chiboub expressed belief that China and Africa will achieve even greater results through practical cooperation, benefiting both the people of China and Africa.

"President Xi proposed 10 major partnership action plans for China and Africa to work together to advance modernization, which is very encouraging and means a brighter future," Ugandan Ambassador to China Oliver Wonekha told CMG.

Workneh Gebeyehu, former foreign minister of Ethiopia, said the summit has charted a clear road map for China-Africa cooperation. "We will jointly address challenges and work more closely for a shared future," he told CMG.

Nigerian Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris expressed his belief that the initiatives proposed by President Xi will promote more cooperation and create a better world for both sides.