Chinese FM: No global modernization without African modernization

Africa is a fertile land of hope in the 21st century, and there will be no global modernization without African modernization, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a press conference on the sidelines of the third session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing on Friday.

China has established strategic partnerships with all African countries that have diplomatic ties to it. The China-Africa community with a shared future has been elevated to an "all-weather" level, Wang said.

Noting that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), he stated that China has significantly contributed to Africa's infrastructure development over the past 25 years, helping to build and upgrade 100,000 kilometers of roads and over 10,000 km of railways. Furthermore, in the last three years, China has created more than 1 million jobs in Africa. China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.

Wang added that there will be no global modernization without African modernization. The world must listen to Africa, heed its concerns, and support it in exploring a new development path of self-reliance and self-strengthening.

(Cover image: The African Union Conference Center, Headquarters of the African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. /Xinhua)