Chinese vice president meets former African leaders
Xinhua, September 9, 2015 Adjust font size:
Vice President Li Yuanchao met with former African leaders on Wednesday, calling for joint efforts to make the China-Africa summit in December a success.
Botswana's former president Festus Mogae; Mozambique's former president Armando Guebuza; and South African former president Thabo Mbeki were present at the meeting.
Hailing China and Africa as a community of shared destiny, Li said China's Africa policy is characterized as being true, practical, close and sincere, with a future of enhanced cooperation.
"We are willing to work with African countries to make this year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation [FOCAC] a success," Li said.
China and South Africa last week announced the sixth ministerial meeting of FOCAC, which is slated for Dec. 4-5 in South Africa. The forum would be upgraded to a summit.
African state leaders will be invited to summit, the second of its kind after the Beijing summit in 2006.
FOCAC aims at achieving common development and prosperity of China and Africa.
China is willing to strengthen party-to-party exchanges with African countries and promote state-to-state relations and the new type of China-African strategic partnership, Li added.
The foreign dignitaries said China, as a strategic partner for Africa, assisted African countries with poverty eradication and peace and development efforts. Endi