President of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, on Thursday urged the consolidation of existing cooperation achievements between China and Africa to further benefit the peoples of both sides, noting that China remains an all-time friend for Central Africa
Sassou made the remarks on Thursday while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing.
Africa, the president said, has walked side by side with China over the past five decades and witnessed China's diplomatic influence and economic development as it continues to move toward the center of the global stage.
"Since its establishment, FOCAC has become a platform for dialogue and cooperation. Africa-China ties have grown closer based on similar historical values and cohesion for all peoples. Therefore, modernization is not just a simple slogan, but our common aspiration. We must jointly pursue prosperity and peace for the benefit of our peoples. We need to uphold the spirit of mutual trust, pragmatism, mutual respect, and solidarity to realize the vision of common development," said Sassou.
To achieve these goals, he called for more efforts to consolidate coordination and enhance mutual understanding between Africa and China.
"We must consolidate the existing cooperation achievements to create new opportunities and bring a better future for generations to come. To this end, we need to strengthen coordination, which is the foundation of our cooperation. We should enhance Africa's understanding of China while also deepening China's understanding of Africa. We need to expand the points of consensus between Africa and China, strengthen the friendship between the peoples of both sides and actively promote the win-win cooperation between Africa and China," the president said.
Noting that China remains an all-time friend for Central Africa, President Sassou vowed to further enhance the role of the FOCAC in global governance through strengthened trade and investment, in order to better address the challenges in the development of Africa.
The three-day FOCAC summit, which opened on Wednesday, is the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders.
Themed "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," the event aims to strengthen friendship and outline future cooperation between the two sides.
Republic of Congo President calls for efforts to consolidate fruits in China-Africa relations
