On June 11, 2025, the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Changsha, Hunan Province. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the opening ceremony and read out the congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping. Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso of the Republic of the Congo, the African co-chair of the FOCAC, read out the congratulatory letter from President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Over 100 ministerial officials from FOCAC member countries, representatives from the African Union (AU) Commission, and diplomatic envoys of African countries to China attended the meeting.
Wang Yi said that President Xi Jinping provided an insightful elaboration on the significance of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation, and announced China’s important measures to further expand openness and cooperation with Africa. These have provided important guidance for China and Africa to jointly advance modernization and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Since its establishment 25 years ago, the FOCAC has grown rapidly, driving China-Africa relations to achieve leapfrog development and ushering in their best period in history. The FOCAC Beijing Summit held in September last year marked the beginning of a new journey for jointly building a China-Africa community with a shared future. Guided by the consensus reached at the summit, China and Africa have actively implemented the ten partnership actions and achieved new, encouraging outcomes. Strategic mutual trust between China and Africa has become stronger, practical cooperation has been increasingly deepened, and multilateral coordination has become closer. Facts have proved that China-Africa cooperation has a solid foundation, extensive demands, and enormous potential, and is brimming with vigor and vitality. When China and Africa stand shoulder to shoulder, the development and revitalization of the Global South will be more promising, and international fairness and justice will be more guaranteed.
Wang Yi emphasized that China and Africa, as the largest developing country and the continent home to the largest number of developing countries, together form the backbone of the Global South. The more complex and turbulent the international landscape becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Africa to uphold solidarity and self-reliance, stand firmly on the right side of history, and actively steer the course of the times, respond to uncertainties in the world with the stability and resilience of China-Africa relations. He said that the two sides should uphold mutual assistance and serve as defenders of solidarity among the Global South; uphold openness and serve as advocates for international free trade; uphold mutual benefit and win-win results and serve as partners in global development cooperation; uphold fairness and justice and serve as defenders of an equitable international order; and uphold exchanges and mutual learning and serve as promoters of the diversity of world civilizations.
Wang Yi said that the 21st century belongs not only to Asia, but also to Africa. The Chinese people are building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. Today, Africa is experiencing a new awakening and steadily progressing toward the modernization goals outlined in the AU’s Agenda 2063. Wang Yi expressed the belief that as long as the 2.8 billion-strong Chinese and African people are united and move forward hand in hand, they will surely make remarkable achievements on the path toward modernization, lead the vigorous development of modernization across the Global South, and make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Jean-Claude Gakosso, on behalf of African countries, said that Africa and China have deep historical ties and a shared future. The Africa-China strategic partnership is founded on mutual respect and mutual trust, and is committed to solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit, and win-win results. He expressed appreciation for China’s concrete actions in supporting Africa’s development. African countries warmly welcome the ten partnership actions put forth by President Xi Jinping and support the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035. Africa is ready to deliver on the outcomes of the Beijing Summit and help realize the African people’s aspirations for a better life. The African side opposes the abuse of tariffs and unilateral sanctions, and will stand firmly with China to jointly address challenges. Long live Africa-China cooperation! Long live Africa-China solidarity!
The China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South was issued during the meeting.
On the same day, Wang Yi successively met with the foreign ministers of the Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Djibouti, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia.
CREDIT: INFORMATION SHARE BY SKINNY
