Green shoots, deep roots of a shared future

The ongoing 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation promises to be a milestone in the development of China-Africa relations. Following the historic summits in Beijing (2006 and 2018), Johannesburg (2015), and Dakar (2021), Chinese and African leaders have once again gathered in Beijing to explore new ways of strengthening Sino-African ties and fortifying the Global South amid the fast-changing international landscape, and increasing challenges and uncertainties.

The summit, the largest diplomatic event in China this year, has garnered global attention, with many expecting it to offer constructive answers to the pressing questions of how to maintain global peace and promote development, and boost China-Africa cooperation.

As the world's largest developing country and the continent with the highest number of developing countries, China and Africa have always prioritized cooperation and partnership. That Xi Jinping chose Africa as his first overseas visit after being elected as president of China in March 2013 shows the great importance China attaches to Sino-African relations. During that visit, President Xi declared in Tanzania that China and Africa are like a community with a shared future.