（May 26, Diaoyutai State Guest House）

Greetings to you all. It is a great pleasure to gather here today with both old and new friends to celebrate Africa Day. On behalf of the Chinese government, I extend warm congratulations to you, and through you, to the brotherly African countries and peoples. I also wish to thank all of you for the important part you have played in deepening China-Africa friendship and advancing China-Africa cooperation.

This year, the theme of our commemoration of Africa Day is "China-Africa Solidarity for a Shared Future". I wish to take this occasion to share with you some thoughts on three keywords: friendship, cooperation, and solidarity.

First, we must cherish the traditional China-Africa friendship and strengthen our confidence in solidarity and cooperation.

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 endeavor 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.

Second, we should deepen practical cooperation and build a consensus for common development.

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 kilometers of roads and over 10,000 kilometers of railways in Africa. In the past three years alone, Chinese enterprises have created over 1.1 million jobs in Africa.

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.

In half a month, the Coordinators' Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the FOCAC Ministerial Conference will be held in Changsha, Hunan. We should take this meeting as an opportunity to add more momentum and strength to the implementation of the common understandings reached by the leaders of both sides, set a benchmark for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, build a model for delivering on the Global Development Initiative, continuously enhance the sense of gain, happiness, and security of the African people, and accelerate the advancement of modernization shared by China and Africa.

Third, we need to discern the direction of the profound changes unseen in a century and continuously strengthen the power of the Global South.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations. However, the world is not yet a tranquil place, the countercurrents of Cold War mentality, hegemonism, and bullying practices are surging, with multiple risks and challenges overlapping, and the deficits in peace, development, security, and governance are increasingly widening. Recently, the United States, disregarding international law and international trade rules, first abruptly cut aid to many countries, including those in Africa, and then indiscriminately imposed tariffs worldwide. Such unilateral bullying moves, which ignore the fundamental principles of international relations, would plunge the world back into the law of the jungle.

History has shown time and again that in the face of injustice and power politics, compromise and concessions lead nowhere. Only by standing firm on our just position and fighting back resolutely can we safeguard our legitimate rights and interests. As the largest developing country and the continent with the highest concentration of developing countries in the world, China and Africa are both key members of the Global South. The more turbulent the international situation becomes, the more imperative it is for us to stand firmly together, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, jointly oppose power politics, uphold multilateralism, safeguard the UN-centered international system, and promote liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment. China will, as always, firmly support the just positions of African countries in international and regional affairs, take concrete steps to redress historical injustices suffered by Africa, and steadfastly support Africa in playing a greater role on the international stage.