China –Africa Forum: Xi Jinping to Deliver Keynote Speech
China wants to involve African countries in the Belt and Road Initiative, known as the New Silk Road
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the Ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 7. According to Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong, President Xi Jinping will deliver a “keynote” speech to talk about “new ideas and proposals for building a high-level community between China and African countries.”
Xi Jinping will also announce new incentives to promote cooperation between China and the “dark continent.” The program of the forum includes the adoption of a package of important documents, including a declaration and an action plan.
On the sidelines of the forum, President Xi Jinping will hold a series of bilateral talks with leaders of a number of African countries and representatives of African political, economic, commercial, and financial organizations.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that in addition to the inauguration ceremony and business forum, four special sessions will be held on topical issues of state governance, industrialization and modernization of the agricultural sector, peace, security, and international cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the New Silk Road.
During previous forums, which are held every three years, China has made economic commitments worth billions of dollars to finance the construction of modern infrastructure, such as ports, railroads, dams, and highways in African countries. In 2021, during the coronavirus pandemic, China sent about one billion doses of covid vaccine to African countries for free.
