On November 3, 2015, Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in Beijing with Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of the African Union Commission (ACU) who was paying an official visit to China.
Wang Yi said that the African Union (AU) is the flag of unity and self-reliance of Africa. China attaches great importance to developing relations with Africa and the AU. President Xi Jinping chose Africa for his first visit, sent a congratulatory letter to the AU Summit for two consecutive years, and announced new measures to help Africa strengthen peacekeeping capacity building in the next five years at the UN Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping in September. Premier Li Keqiang paid a special visit to the AU headquarters in 2014 and put forward the initiatives of "Six Major Projects" and "Three Major Networks" of China-Africa cooperation. China-AU cooperation has strongly promoted the development of China-Africa relations and enhanced the cooperation and unity of the developing countries, and plays an important strategic leading role.
Wang Yi said that China will cooperate closely with the AU to earnestly implement the assistance measures announced by President Xi, further promote docking of the "Three Networks and Industrialization" projects with Africa, deepen practical cooperation in all fields, and support Africa in strengthening public health prevention and control system as well as capacity building so as to jointly promote the new model of China-Africa strategic partnership to new stages constantly.
Wang Yi also had in-depth exchange of views with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) soon to be held in South Africa, priority areas of future China-Africa cooperation, and international and regional topics of common interest. Wang Yi said that as the first China-Africa summit to be held on the African continent, this summit is of milestone significance for guiding future China-Africa friendly cooperation. President Xi will co-host the summit with the President of South Africa Jacob Zuma. China is willing to work with members of the FOCAC, including the African Union Commission, to make the summit a grand historic event that strengthens China-Africa solidarity and seeks China-Africa cooperation.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma thanked China for its long-term support to the AU and Africa in the cause of peace and development, and thanked China for taking the lead in providing immediate assistance and making important contributions to Africa's fight against Ebola. She said that the AU will strengthen coordination and collaboration with China to jointly and earnestly implement the assistance measures announced by President Xi Jinping and accelerate the promotion of Premier Li Keqiang's cooperation initiatives such as "Three Networks and Industrialization" to help Africa with an early realization of independent and sustainable development. She hopes that China will further enhance its support to Africa in areas such as agriculture, public health and women's empowerment. The Johannesburg Summit of the FOCAC is of great significance, and its theme conforms to Africa's urgent need. The AU and African countries hold high expectations for the summit, and believe the summit will surely become a grand historic event in the history of Africa-China relations.
