Editor's note: President Xi Jinping held bilateral meetings on Tuesday with African leaders who are in Beijing to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which opens on Wednesday and runs through Friday.

BRI, Kenya Vision 2030 to be better aligned

President Xi Jinping called on China and Kenya on Tuesday to further promote Belt and Road cooperation, in order to advance regional economic and social development and bring benefits to the two peoples.

He made the remark when meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto in Beijing.

Hailing the development of bilateral relations, Xi said that China and Kenya have been at the forefront of Belt and Road cooperation.

Both countries have jointly completed numerous flagship projects to enhance infrastructure connectivity, he said.

Xi called for further aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with Kenya Vision 2030 — a long-term development blueprint that aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income country and provide a high quality of life to all its citizens in a clean and secure environment by 2030.

He underlined the need for both countries to strengthen collaboration in renewable energy, trade, the digital economy, poverty alleviation and agriculture.

Both nations should continue the tradition of friendship to treat each other as sincere partners based on mutual trust, as well as support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and independently exploring development paths that suit their respective national conditions, Xi said.

He also called on the two countries to work as strategic partners dedicated to upholding fairness and justice, enhance communication and coordination on international and regional issues, safeguard the common interests of the Global South, and promote regional peace and stability.

Ruto said the Kenya-China relationship is built on deep friendship, mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit.

BRI projects have significantly boosted Kenya's economic and social development, marking a new chapter in the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two nations, he said.

Kenya looks forward to leveraging the 2024 FOCAC Summit to further advance its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, Ruto added.

Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang also met with Ruto on Tuesday.

Chad encouraged to bolster trade, economic ties

President Xi Jinping and Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno announced on Tuesday the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

Mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Chad under the Belt and Road Initiative and FOCAC has yielded fruitful outcomes, Xi said during his meeting with the Chadian president.

China has been Chad's largest trading and investment partner for many years.

Xi said that China is willing to further align its development strategies with the Central African nation and push for new progress in bilateral relations. He said that China will, as always, support Chad in pursuing an independent development path and safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Xi said he welcomes Chad to make good use of the outcomes of the 2024 FOCAC Summit and deepen economic and trade cooperation, in order to strengthen its capability of independent development and also achieve common development.

China is ready to work with Chad to implement the Global Security Initiative, safeguard national security and stability, and work together as stabilizing forces for peace, Xi said.

According to a Foreign Ministry readout, the two countries will sign a number of bilateral cooperation documents related to the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the development of human resources, exports of peanut and sesame to China, and coordination among media organizations.

The Chadian president expressed his appreciation of China's assistance for his country's economic and social development, and said that Chad is firmly committed to further deepening friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with China.

Chad admires China's development achievements and is glad to see the country's continued growth, he said, adding that China's sustained development will bring more opportunities for the development of Chad, Africa and the world at large.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also met with the Chadian guest on Tuesday.

Shared growth with Malawi to gain momentum

President Xi Jinping and Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera met on Tuesday in Beijing and announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

Bilateral ties have developed steadily and soundly since China and Malawi established diplomatic relations in 2007, Xi said, adding that the two countries enjoy solid political mutual trust and fruitful mutually beneficial cooperation.

China hopes to further advance its friendly cooperation with Malawi and facilitate shared growth by implementing the outcomes of the 2024 FOCAC Summit, he said.

Xi emphasized that China supports Malawi in exploring a development path that suits Malawi's national conditions, and is willing to share with the African country the opportunities brought by Chinese modernization to assist its development.

China is ready to strengthen cooperation with Malawi in agriculture, telecommunications and infrastructure, and encourages Chinese companies to invest in Malawi, Xi said.

He called on the two countries to make good use of the Confucius Institute at the University of Malawi to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

China supports the smooth operation of Malawi's consulate general in Changsha, Hunan province, and encourages the two countries to strengthen exchanges and cooperation at local levels, Xi said.

He added that China hopes to strengthen coordination with Malawi on international affairs to protect the shared interests of developing countries.

Chakwera said that Malawi sees China as its most sincere friend. Malawi adheres to the one-China policy and supports China in protecting its core interests, he said.

Malawi supports strengthening the FOCAC mechanism, and will take this summit as an opportunity to advance Belt and Road cooperation, boost regional connectivity and deepen friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with China, Chakwera added.

During the summit, the two sides will sign cooperation documents on peanut exports to China, news media development and related to other fields.

Relations with Mauritania taken to new level

President Xi Jinping and visiting Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership during their meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.

China and Mauritania are good friends and brothers who trust and help each other, Xi told Ghazouani.

The Chinese president expressed appreciation to Mauritania for its firm support on issues concerning China's core interests, pledging China's continuous support for Mauritania in pursuing a development path suiting its national conditions.

Xi expressed willingness to advance joint cooperation on the Belt and Road, deepen cooperation in areas such as fisheries and infrastructure, and build China-Mauritania relations into a model of friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation.

He commended Ghazouani for his positive contribution as the rotating chairman of the African Union in preparing for the 2024 FOCAC Summit.

China is willing to work closely with Mauritania to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, enhance the voice and representation of Global South countries in global governance, and jointly uphold international fairness and justice, Xi said.

Ghazouani said that Mauritania is proud of its friendly relations with China, and pledged his nation's firm adherence to the one-China principle.

In the face of numerous global risks and challenges, deepening cooperation with China is the hope of countries like Mauritania to achieve sustainable development, he added.

The two sides have highly consistent positions on the Palestinian question and other matters, Ghazouani said. They firmly oppose interference in internal affairs of other countries and call for respect for the independence of all countries, he said.

Mauritania highly appreciates and supports the major initiatives proposed by Xi, which provide solutions to common security and development for all countries, Ghazouani said.

Mauritania looks forward to collaborating closely with China for the success of the summit and for promoting peace and development in Africa and the world, he added.

AU's greater role in promoting friendship backed

President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Tuesday China's support for the African Union to play a greater role in promoting China-Africa friendship, saying that the country is ready to take the 2024 FOCAC Summit as an opportunity to deliver more cooperation achievements.

He made the remark when meeting in Beijing with Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission.

Xi highlighted the deepening of political mutual trust between China and the AU in recent years, as well as their close coordination in international and regional affairs. Africa, as a significant player on the global stage, remains a key priority in China's foreign policy, he said.

In the context of the rapidly evolving global landscape, the growing influence of the Global South, which includes China and Africa, has injected stability and positive energy into world peace and development, Xi said.

China is willing to enhance political exchanges with African countries, deepen strategic mutual trust, strengthen pragmatic cooperation, share development experiences and foster mutual growth, Xi said. He also underlined the need for both sides to enhance unity and support, and jointly safeguard international fairness, justice and the common interests of developing countries.

Faki hailed the rapid development of relations between the AU and China, and lauded China's long-standing support for Africa in fields such as infrastructure, healthcare, energy, industry and security. He also praised China for supporting Africa's struggles against colonialism, imperialism and racial discrimination.

The African side firmly adheres to the one-China policy and steadfastly supports China in safeguarding its core interests, Faki said.

He commended the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, all proposed by Xi, saying that these initiatives are committed to providing the people of all countries with peace and development opportunities.

Faki expressed the hope that China will continue to play a leading role in helping Africa achieve modernization and in promoting global peace and development.

Vice-President Han Zheng also met with Faki on Tuesday.