Eritrean President arrives in Beijing for FOCAC summit

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki arrived in Beijing on Sunday to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to be held in the Chinese capital from Sept. 4 to 6.

China and Eritrea have a traditional friendship. In 2022, the two countries established a strategic partnership. In May 2023, President Isaias paid a state visit to China.

Over the past 31 years since China and Eritrea established diplomatic relationship, the two countries have always been sincere and friendly to each other, working together, and firmly supporting each other on issues involving respective core interests and major concerns. The two countries have witnessed deepening cooperation in politics, economy, trade, culture, agriculture, and many other fields, continuously opening new chapters for the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Many African leaders, including Chairman of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, will lead delegations to the summit. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend the summit as a special guest, and relevant international and regional organizations will also attend the summit as observers.

President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the summit on Sept. 5.

The summit will be held with the theme "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future."

Following the 2006 FOCAC Beijing Summit, the 2015 FOCAC Johannesburg Summit and the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, the upcoming summit is another happy reunion of the friendly family of China and Africa. It is also the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years.

Eritrean President arrives in Beijing for FOCAC summit

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met with Prak Sokhonn, Cambodian deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and chairman of the Commission for External Relations of the Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the friendship between China and Cambodia has withstood the test of international changes, and under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, the ironclad friendship between the two countries has entered a new stage.

Wang said China is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with Cambodia, promote the construction of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, enhance high-level strategic coordination to address risks and challenges, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of both countries, and promote regional peace and stability.

Prak Sokhonn said that Cambodia is firmly committed to a friendly policy toward China and is willing to enhance political mutual trust, promote practical cooperation, strengthen diplomatic coordination, and continuously elevate the Cambodia-China friendship to new heights.

Chinese foreign minister meets Cambodian deputy prime minister