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Though thousands of miles apart, China, the world's largest developing country, along with Africa, the continent with the largest concentration of developing countries, share a traditional friendship of mutual support and understanding.
In 2000, China and Africa co-established the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), with joint mechanisms to conduct regular evaluations of follow-up actions.
The Forum has grown gradually from a series of small steps mainly focused on aid, trade, debt relief and personnel training to a comprehensive platform that covers industrialization, agricultural modernization, finance, green development, people-to-people exchanges, and security.
With Sino-Africa relationships continuing to develop, a model of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits," as opposed to colonialism or neo-colonialism, is underway.
The 2018 Beijing FOCAC Summit summarizes and evaluates prior activities and actions, and it plans and sets expectations for the future direction of bilateral relationships.