President Paul Kagame on Thursday, September 5, joined leaders from the continent and from China for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech elaborating on new ideas and propositions on building a high-level community with a shared future between China and Africa, among other things.

President Xi initiated China-Africa joint modernization characterized by six features. With the keywords "equitable”, "win-win”, "put people first”, "inclusiveness”, "eco-friendly” and "peace”, he vowed to "set off a wave of modernization in the Global South.”

"We always empathize with and support each other, setting a stellar example of a new type of international relations,” Xi said.

The China-Africa summit kicked-off on Wednesday with leaders of African countries meeting and discussing policies and cooperation agreements with the Chinese government. The agreements, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will set the tone for the two side’s burgeoning relations for the next few years.

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Available statistics indicate that around a quarter of Africa’s exports - fuels, metals, minerals - go to China, Africa’s biggest trade partner, and about 16 percent of imports come from China.

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Over the 24 years since the establishment of FOCAC, particularly in the new era, the forum has always adhered to the principles of planning together, building together, and benefiting together. The development of the Forum has been remarkable, making it a "golden brand" of China-Africa cooperation and a banner for leading international cooperation with Africa and for deepening Global South cooperation, according to China’s Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong.