The Second China-Africa Friendship Organization Leader Meeting, co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association and Shandong People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, was held in Jinan, Shandong Province on November 9. Li Bin, Vice Chairman of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. About 150 people were present at the meeting, including 26 leaders of friendship organizations from 22 African countries and representatives of associations for friendship with foreign countries from more than 17 provinces and cities in China. Zhang Liwei, Deputy Director-General of the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office, attended the meeting and delivered a speech on the theme of carrying forward the traditional friendship between China and African countries.

In his speech, Zhang Liwei shared Ningxia’s successful practices of fostering mutual trust and communication and pursuing shared development with sub-national governments in African countries. He also introduced the tangible results achieved through solidarity, cooperation, and win-win development, and told the touching stories of people from different countries understanding and helping each other. He said that through platforms such as the international friendship cities, Ningxia stands ready to work with African countries to enhance people-to-people exchanges, promote trade and investment, support industrial cooperation, embrace green development, and foster closer bonds between the peoples. Efforts will also be made to continuously strengthen exchanges and cooperation in highly compatible and complementary areas such as modern agriculture, infrastructure, clean energy, and desertification prevention and control. Ningxia will act on the spirit of China-African friendship and cooperation and make contribution to a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

Zhang Liwei talked with the leaders of African friendship organizations including Ghana-China Friendship Association, Uganda-China Friendship Association, and Tanzania-China Friendship Association. He introduced Ningxia’s opening up environment and speciality industries and discussed with them new patterns and trends of the cooperation and exchanges between Chinese and African friendship organizations and international friendship cities, new advantages and paths for leading and facilitating development, and the new platforms and modes for renewing traditional friendship. The attendees said that they will continue serving as a bridge for China-Africa exchanges and cooperation, so as to promote diverse and concerted participation from enterprises, universities, research institutes, think tanks, media, social organizations and youth. With these, they aim to enhance people-to-people connectivity, establish a solid popular foundation for China-Africa friendship, continuously advance the building of the China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, and deliver cooperation benefits to the people from both sides.