Advancing China-Africa ties

Frequent high-level exchange visits and more interactions between ordinary people will enhance communication and mutual trust

Premier Li Keqiang is paying official visits to Ethiopia, Nigeria, Angola and Kenya from May 4 to 11, during which he will deliver a speech at the headquarters of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababas and attend the 2014 World Economic Forum on Africa in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. During his visit, Li is expected to sign about 60 deals in sectors such as energy, trade, culture, health, agriculture and personnel training.

This is Li's first visit to Africa since he took office in 2013, and it comes within a year of President Xi Jinping's visit to the continent as part of his first trip abroad after taking office. In addition to the visits by Xi and Li, Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Ethiopia, Djibouti, Ghana and Senegal in January 2014, continuing the long-held tradition that Africa is the first destination of the year for China's foreign ministers, who have made the continent their first port of call each year since 1991. This highlights that the Chinese leadership continues to attach great importance to the development of China-Africa relations and the enhancement of South-South cooperation.