Ministers convene to pave way for FOCAC Summit

China sees the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation as an excellent platform to further strengthen traditional friendships, solidarity and coordination with African countries, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing on Sunday.

China is ready to work with African countries to jointly build an even stronger community of a shared future, Wang said at the Seventh Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Ministers and representatives tasked with foreign and economic cooperation responsibilities from 53 African member states and from the African Union Commission attended the meeting, which was held ahead of the main summit on Monday and Tuesday.

The meeting reviewed and approved the drafts of the outcome documents to be submitted to the summit, including the Beijing Declaration and the FOCAC Action Plan (2019-21).

Wang congratulated Gambia, Burkina Faso, and Sao Tome and Principe on being the newest members of FOCAC.

President Xi Jinping will put forward specific proposals to build a China-Africa community with a shared future at the summit, and he will announce China's initiatives and measures to strengthen China-Africa cooperation, Wang said.

These initiatives and measures "will intensify the China-Africa win-win partnership, helping Africa to achieve revitalization and development", Wang said.

Wang and Commerce Minister Zhong Shan co-chaired the meeting with South African co-chairs Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu and Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies.

Calling China a trusted and reliable partner of Africa, Sisulu said African countries are willing to learn from China's development experience and enhance cooperation in such fields as agriculture, infrastructure construction, trade, and science and technology.