Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China met with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Gedion Timothewos in Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province who came to China for the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
When meeting with Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Wang said China and Ethiopia have worked together to achieve early results in implementing the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, bringing more tangible benefits to the Ethiopian people. China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Ethiopia, promote common development through mutually beneficial cooperation and safeguard shared interests through solidarity and collaboration. (With input from Chinese Media)
Gedion said Ethiopia and China have achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation, setting a model for the Global South. He expressed gratitude for China’s firm support on Ethiopia’s core interests and valuable assistance to Africa’s development.
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 said at the opening ceremony that China and Africa, as the world’s largest developing country and the continent home to the largest number of developing countries, together form the backbone of the Global South.
He said that the more complex and turbulent the international landscape becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Africa to strengthen unity and self-reliance, stand firmly on the right side of history, actively steer the course of the times, and address the uncertainty in the world with the stability and resilience of China-Africa relations.
Wang Yi, on behalf of China, put forward a five-point proposal to promote high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation. First, upholding mutual assistance and serving as defenders of solidarity among Global South countries.
China and Africa should maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests, further strengthen political mutual trust and continuously enhance the quality of the China-Africa community with a shared future. As the most trustworthy friend and reliable partner of African countries, China will, as always, speak up for African countries, fully support Africa’s pursuit of integration, and fully support African countries in exploring their paths to modernization.
Second, upholding openness and serving as advocates for international free trade. Economic globalization is the only path forward for human progress. China and Africa should champion a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, and safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.
China will continue to expand its openness toward Africa and implement measures of granting 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, providing more access to the Chinese market and more opportunities to support Africa’s development.
Third, upholding mutual benefit and win-win results and serving as partners in global development cooperation. President Xi Jinping has emphasized that on the path to modernization, no one, and no country, should be left behind. China calls on the international community to give serious attention to the development challenges faced by Africa and to increase rather than drastically reduce development assistance to Africa.
China will accelerate the implementation of the ten partnership actions, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and carry out the Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization, and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, promoting high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation.
Fourth, upholding fairness and justice, and serving as defenders of an equitable international order. China and Africa should continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, jointly oppose hegemonism and bullying, and make the international order more just and equitable.
China will continue to firmly support Africa in playing a greater role on the international stage, redress the historical injustices suffered by Africa, and enhance Africa’s representation and voice in the global governance system. The G20 Summit will be held on the African continent for the first time this year, and China supports South Africa in fulfilling its role as the rotating presidency and leaving a distinct “African imprint” on global governance.
Fifth, upholding exchanges and mutual learning, and serving as promoters of the diversity of world civilizations. The year 2026 will mark the “China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges”, and China and Africa will jointly release the concept paper today. The two sides should make full use of various channels such as those in the business community, academia, and civil society to deepen cultural integration between China and Africa and foster greater mutual understanding and affinity among the people.
China will implement the initiatives announced by President Xi Jinping, and continue to expand exchanges and cooperation with Africa in education, youth, women, broadcasting, and other areas to strengthen the public support for lasting China-Africa friendship.
It is recalled that Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Group Meeting with African Diplomatic envoys said, “This year marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). China-Africa relations have achieved leapfrog development. Particularly since the new era began, we have sought greater synergy between the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and the Global Development Initiative as well as the Agenda 2063 of the African Union and African countries’ respective development strategies.
Under the framework of the FOCAC, we have successively implemented the ten cooperation plans, the eight major initiatives, and the nine programs, driving China-Africa cooperation to greater heights, deeper levels, and wider fields. Over the past 25 years, bilateral trade has increased 27-fold, China’s investment stock in Africa has grown more than 80 times, and we have helped build and upgrade nearly 100,000 kilometres of roads and over 10,000 kilometres of railways in Africa. In the past three years alone, Chinese enterprises have created over 1.1 million jobs in Africa.
He went on to say in September last year; President Xi Jinping put forward that
China and Africa should jointly advance modernization characterized by six features and the ten partnership actions at the Beijing Summit of the FOCAC, outlining a new blueprint for and injecting fresh impetus into the high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation. In just over six months, thanks to our joint efforts, solid progress has already been made in implementing the outcomes of the Summit. Facts have proved that China-Africa cooperation has great potential and a promising future.
China and Africa are good brothers who fight side by side and share a common future. We share common experiences and dreams, and face the same opportunities and challenges. Over the years, the Chinese and African peoples have supported each other in the struggle for independence and liberation and in the endeavour to defend national sovereignty, and have helped each other in exploring development paths and achieving national rejuvenation.
From China’s assistance in building the Tanzania-Zambia Railway to the joint construction of Africa’s largest hydropower station, from our African brothers “carrying” China into the United Nations to China taking the lead in supporting the African Union’s joining in the G20, and from dispatching medical teams to Africa shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China to the China-Africa united fight against COVID-19, China and Africa have forged a deep friendship marked by shared future and close bonds, and written many cherished stories of friendship that continue to be told.
Entering the new era, President Xi Jinping visited Africa five times, put forward the principles of China’s Africa policy – sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests, as well as the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, elevated China’s relations with all African countries having diplomatic ties with China to the level of strategic relations and upgraded the overall characterization of China-Africa relations to an all-weather community with a shared future for the new era, leading China-Africa relations to their best in history.
Looking back, the key to the enduring strength and continued vitality of China-Africa friendship lies in our commitment to treating each other as equals, pursuing win-win cooperation, and upholding fairness and justice. China has always treated its African friends with sincerity, genuinely providing support for Africa’s development, and supporting your exploration of development paths suited to your national conditions.
China never interferes in Africa’s internal affairs, never imposes its own will on others, never attaches any political conditions to its assistance to Africa, and never seeks political gains in its investment and financing in Africa. Looking ahead, no matter how the international situation evolves or how much China develops, China will unswervingly prioritize strengthening solidarity and cooperation with African countries in its diplomacy, support each other on issues related to core interests and major concerns, strive to deliver more tangible benefits to the African people, and remain the most sincere friend and the most reliable partner of African countries.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 21 JUNE 2025
