Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan addresses the opening session of the Fifth China-Africa People's Forum in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 23, 2018. The forum kicked off in Chengdu on Monday. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)
China will continue to maintain the policy of sincerity, affinity and good faith, uphold justice and pursue shared interests, to bring China-Africa relations to a higher level, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan said Monday.
Wang made the remarks during a speech at the opening ceremony of the Fifth China-Africa People's Forum in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.
"Chinese people and African people are as close as family members sharing fortune and hardships and are natural allies," said Wang, adding that since the Johannesburg summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2015, China-Africa cooperation has yielded abundant fruits and China-Africa relations have entered a new era.
"After all, state-to-state relations must be implemented by people and people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa have a broad prospect in building a closer community with a shared future for China and Africa," Wang said.
He called on social organizations and personnel from China and Africa to promote political mutual trust, work for mutual benefit in economy, learn from each other's cultures, and coordinate in multilateral interaction.
Wang also met with Vincent Meriton, president of Parti Lepep and vice president of Seychelles and Clement Mouamba, prime minister of the Republic of Congo, respectively.
During his meeting with Meriton, Wang said leaders of China and African countries would develop a blueprint for closer China-Africa relations during the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which will be held in September.
He said China stands ready to work with Seychelles to deepen mutual trust, enhance experience exchanges on governance, implement a policy of sincerity, affinity and good faith, and cooperate on the construction of the Belt and Road, to benefit the people as soon as possible.
Meriton said cooperation between the two countries, as well as Africa and China, has established an example for an equal, fair, and reasonable global order by adhering to the idea of equality, respect, and win-win cooperation and Seychelles hopes to cement the people-to-people friendship with China.
During his meeting with Mouamba, Wang said China supports the Republic of Congo's efforts to achieve prosperity and hopes the two sides can make joint efforts to push forward people-to-people cooperation between the two countries as well as China and Africa.
Mouamba said the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and other relevant meetings have unveiled the traits of Africa-China cooperation which are sincerity, unity, pragmatism, and win-win result.
The Republic of Congo is grateful for the aid China has provided and stands ready to forge pragmatic cooperation in various fields, to make progress on the Belt and Road Initiative and build a community with a shared future for China and Africa, he said.
