Beijing, 24th June, 2026 – A landmark seminar marking 70 years of China–Africa and China–Arab diplomatic relations convened in Beijing, drawing senior diplomats and representatives from across the Global South.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of AU Commission Chairperson H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Ambassador Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, the African Union’s Permanent Representative to China, praised President Xi Jinping’s leadership and China’s accelerated development trajectory. He highlighted Xi’s Ten Partnership Actions for Africa’s Modernization, the zero tariff policy introduced on May 1, 2026, and the Four Global Initiatives on Development, Security, Civilization, and Governance, describing them as measures that “reinforce multilateralism and expand the voice of the Global South.”
Reflecting on seven decades of engagement, Ambassador Bah recalled China’s support for African liberation movements and Africa’s pivotal role in restoring China’s UN seat in 1971. He described the relationship as “forged through history, tested through adversity, and continuously renewed through solidarity,” now evolving into a strategic partnership spanning modernization and global governance.
A central focus was the transformative impact of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which he credited with turning friendship into a structured framework delivering tangible progress in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, health, science, education, and skills development all central to Africa’s Agenda 2063. He welcomed the alignment between FOCAC commitments, Africa’s Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan, and China’s 15th Five-Year Plan.
On global affairs, Ambassador Bah stressed the need for stronger coordination between Africa and China in multilateral institutions, reforms to global governance, and greater support for Global South priorities. He reaffirmed the AU’s commitment to an international order grounded in sovereignty, international law, and peaceful dispute resolution.
Concluding, he urged partners to “honour the past by building a partnership equal to the demands of the future,” calling for an enhanced trilateral cooperation between Africa, China, and the Arab world to shape humanity’s shared destiny in the 21st century.
