Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a stronger Sino-African relationship, saying China wants it to serve as the model for the country's relations with the rest of the world.  

Xi said China is willing to work with the African people to build a stronger community with a shared future between China and Africa, which will serve as a model for building a community with shared future for mankind, a concept first brought up in 2013 to highlight a new type of international relations based on win-win cooperation. 

Read more: Xi: China to promote concept of 'community of shared future for mankind'

The Chinese president made the remarks when he was addressing the African leaders at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on Monday.  

Ahead of his visit to South Africa in July, Xi elaborated that the "community with a shared future between China and Africa" is a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation. 

Speaking to the leaders of over 50 African countries, Xi stressed that the Sino-African relationship has a long history, and that China is the world's largest developing country and the African continent has the world's largest number of developing countries.  

Xi went on to highlight six aspects for the future China-Africa ties, in terms of mutual trust, global governance, economic and social collaboration, cultural and non-governmental exchange, security and sustainable growth.