China remains committed in solidarity with African countries

China remains unwavering in its commitment to strengthening solidarity and cooperation with African countries, regardless of changes in the international landscape, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Du Xiaohui, director-general of the Department of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the recently concluded Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Changsha demonstrated the strong determination and confidence of both sides to jointly build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

The meeting adopted the China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South, in which China expressed readiness to negotiate and sign the agreement of China-Africa Economic Partnership for Shared Development to implement a zero-tariff policy for 100 percent of taxable products from the 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China.

Additionally, China pledged to further facilitate exports from the least developed African countries.

These policy measures are of great significance, particularly at a time when a certain major power is enforcing so-called reciprocal tariffs in an attempt to drag the world back into a state of "might makes right," Du emphasized.

"China is Africa's most reliable partner and sincerest friend," Du said, adding that Beijing's approach—guided by principles of sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith—stands in stark contrast to the hegemonic behavior of countries acting out of arrogance, racial superiority, and narrow self-interest.

Amid rising global uncertainty, Du called for enhanced China-Africa unity to collectively oppose power politics, uphold genuine multilateralism, and advance trade and investment liberalization.

He emphasized that China-Africa cooperation is rooted in mutual benefit and shared development and that the relationship has evolved significantly since the establishment of FOCAC 25 years ago.

Bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China were elevated to the level of strategic relations, and the overall China-Africa relations have been upgraded to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

The FOCAC Beijing Summit affirmed that the two sides would jointly advance modernization characterized by six features and announced 10 partnership actions for China and Africa to advance modernization.

Since the Beijing Summit, these initiatives have begun to deliver early results, injecting new momentum into the collective modernization efforts of the Global South, Du said.

According to the foreign ministry, China's investment in Africa has increased by over 13.3 billion yuan ($1.85 billion) over the past nine months, with total financial support exceeding 150 billion yuan. Trade financing of approximately 17.12 billion yuan has also been provided to support African exports to China.

Official data also showed that China-Africa trade reached a record high of $295.6 billion in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, bilateral trade reached $72.6 billion, up 2.7 percent year-on-year, underscoring the growing scale and quality of China-Africa economic exchanges, Du said.