Addis Ababa, January 8 (Xinhua) -- On January 8, 2026 local time, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the opening ceremony of the "China Africa Cultural Exchange Year" in 2026. In his keynote speech, Wang Yi proposed four Chinese initiatives to promote China Africa cooperation:

One is to prioritize development and be a fellow traveler in promoting modernization. Guided by the six propositions of jointly advancing modernization, we should actively implement the outcomes of the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, and promote the integration and promotion of people to people and cultural exchanges and practical cooperation. China will continue to expand its unilateral opening up to Africa. We believe that after the full implementation of the zero tariff measures for 100% tariff products in Africa, it will effectively drive Africa's exports to China and the development of industries and technologies, making the Chinese market a great opportunity for Africa.

Secondly, we must adhere to the principle of putting the people first and be practical practitioners who serve the people. We should take the aspiration of the Chinese and African people for a better life as our goal, focus on cultivating a number of long-term cultural exchange mechanisms, create more brands that people enjoy, implement various measures of the cultural exchange partnership action, carry out more diverse cultural exchanges, further enrich the connotation of the communication between the Chinese and African people, and continuously tighten the emotional bond between the 2.8 billion Chinese and African people.

The third is to adhere to mutual learning and mutual learning, and be an action oriented participant in governance and exchange. We should make good use of mechanisms such as the China Africa experience exchange platform and the China Africa development knowledge network to continuously deepen the exchange of experience in governing the Party, the country, and modernization development. China is willing to deepen exchanges with political parties and organizations in various African countries, to establish a new type of political party relationship and help build a new type of international relationship, injecting more vitality into the stable and far-reaching cooperation between China and Africa.

Fourthly, we must adhere to openness and inclusiveness, and be good partners with a shared destiny. We should take the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind as the guide, implement the four major global initiatives as the main line, work together to address global challenges, and make contributions to the progress of human civilization in China and Africa. We need to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. China firmly supports Africa in playing a greater role on the international stage, correcting the historical injustices suffered by Africa, and enhancing Africa's representation and voice in the multilateral governance system.

Wang Yi emphasized that both China and Africa are currently at a critical stage of their respective development and revitalization. Let us take the opening of the "China Africa Cultural Exchange Year" as an opportunity, uphold the original intention of friendship, build a solid foundation for cooperation, and accelerate the construction of an all-weather China Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Editor: Chen Luyi