Summit to strengthen China-Africa solidarity

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds talks with his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma in Pretoria, South Africa, Dec 2, 2015. [Photo by Ma Zhancheng/Xinhua]

The upcoming summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will further consolidate the time-honored friendship between them and broaden the horizons for their reciprocal cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and the leaders of African countries will meet in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday and Saturday to set the agenda for the future of Sino-African ties.

Fifteen years after its launch, the forum has become an indispensable platform to anchor China-Africa ties and promote Africa's social and economic development and integration. This year's summit, under the theme of "Africa-China progressing together: win-win cooperation for common development", will discuss ways that the two sides can integrate their development strategies and push their cooperation to new heights.

During the summit, Xi is expected to announce a series of new measures aimed at deepening pragmatic cooperation. This is his second visit to Africa in two and half years. Such high-profile attention to the continent indicates China's resolve to share its development opportunities with African countries and help them realize sustainable and common development.

In recent years, China has stepped up technology transfer and capacity-building support to the continent through numerous programs and projects, which have strengthened African countries' self-development capabilities. Unlike Western countries, China does not attach any strings to its investments in the continent.

In 2014, the accumulated Chinese investment in Africa was $30 billion, 60 times the figure in 2000 when the forum was established. Meanwhile, more than 3,800 kilometers of railways and more than 4,300 km of highways funded by China are under construction or have been completed in Africa.

China and African countries have come to an important historical juncture: Most African countries are at the early stage of industrialization, while China is pushing forward a new round of industrial restructuring. China's high-quality production capacity can help African countries achieve industrialization and technological advancement.

This fits well into Africa's own development vision "Agenda 2063", which was adopted at this year's African Union summit and outlines a vision of an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa by the AU's 100th anniversary.

China has vowed to build a community of common destiny with Africa, and the upcoming China-Africa summit will no doubt bring the two sides one step closer toward that goal. Their stronger ties will also contribute to strengthening South-South cooperation.