Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday put forward a three-point proposal on building a closer community with a shared future between China and African countries.

 

On the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka, Xi chaired a China-Africa leaders' meeting, which was attended by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also former African co-chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC); Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, also rotating chair of the African Union (AU); Senegalese President Macky Sall, current African co-chair of the FOCAC; and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

 

The leaders compared notes and reached a broad consensus on major issues such as deepening China-Africa cooperation, supporting the development of Africa and the work of the United Nations, and safeguarding multilateralism.

 

Xi pointed out that the FOCAC Beijing summit held in September last year ushered in a new era of China-Africa relations.

 

China cherishes its traditional friendship with Africa, Xi said, adding that no matter how the international situation changes and despite the interference of certain powers, the original aspirations of China and Africa for win-win cooperation and common development will stay unchanged and the resolve to jointly build a closer community with a shared future will not waver.

 

At the China-Africa leaders' meeting, Xi put forward a three-point proposal.

 

First, Xi called on the countries to be pioneers for win-win development so that the fruits of cooperation will benefit more Chinese and African people.

 

The countries, he said, should align the construction of the Belt and Road with the AU's Agenda 2063, the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the development strategies of African countries, and bring more visible and tangible benefits to the peoples of China and Africa through the implementation of the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing summit.

 

Xi pledged that China will stay committed to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and the approach of pursuing the greater good and shared interests, honor its commitments to Africa to the letter, persistently support Africa's development, and make greater contributions to Africa's development and rejuvenation and African countries' joint efforts to become stronger.

 

Second, he called on the countries to lead the way in opening-up and cooperation and build stronger synergy to support Africa's development.

 

International cooperation with Africa should give priority to Africa, respect its will and guarantee its interests, Xi said, adding that any egotistical and self-centered moves benefiting oneself at the expense of others will lose ground and be unpopular.

 

China is ready to push the international community to increase input in Africa, work with the UN to help African countries properly cope with global challenges, and carry out third-party cooperation with the UN and international partners in Africa on the basis of respecting Africa's will, he said.

 

Third, Xi urged the countries to be guardians of multilateralism and make greater contributions to defending the international order.

 

The countries should stick to cultural diversity and inclusive development, uphold the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and join hands to push forward the democratization of international relations, Xi said.

 

They should also unequivocally oppose protectionism, unilateralism, bullying and the clash-of-civilizations mindset, jointly safeguard multilateralism and the free trade system, fully accommodate the legitimate demands, rights and interests of developing countries, especially the African ones, and actively safeguard international equality and justice, he said.

 

Xi vowed that China will speak up for African countries within the UN and other multilateral frameworks, help channel more relevant resources to Africa, continue to encourage the UN to fund Africa's own peacekeeping operations, and make unremitting efforts for Africa's long-term stability, development and prosperity.

 

The Chinese president stressed that China is ready to take this meeting as an opportunity to work with African countries and the UN to strengthen strategic communication, deepen practical cooperation, inject positive energy into the international situation, and jointly build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation as well as a community with a shared future for mankind.

 

African leaders agreed that the meeting fully reflected the importance China attaches to Africa and the closeness of Africa-China relations.

 

The leaders hailed the success of the FOCAC Beijing summit and the just concluded coordinators' meeting on the implementation of the follow-up actions of the summit.

 

Africa-China cooperation is practical, efficient and action-oriented, and has a strong follow-up mechanism, which meets the needs of African countries, they said.

 

The African side thanks China for its long-term positive contributions to supporting Africa's development and appreciates China's non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, they said.

 

The leaders said they hope other countries could follow China's example, help Africa with its development, provide development funds and raise the level of Africa's development.

 

African countries are ready to work with China to implement the eight major initiatives agreed at the FOCAC Beijing summit, actively build the Belt and Road, and forge a closer Africa-China community with a shared future, they said.

 

Guterres said China has played a vital and positive role in promoting Africa's development.

 

He said he believes China-Africa cooperation is of great significance to the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

He pledged that the UN fully supports and participates in China-Africa cooperation and Africa's development, and supports cooperation within the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative and FOCAC.