China and Africa, sharing similar historical experience, have all along sympathized with and supported each other in the struggle for national liberation and forged a profound friendship.
"China was an all-weather friend to African people and it is still now," Zambia's founding president Kenneth Kaunda has said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua ahead of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) due to be held on Nov. 4 and 5.
China has established diplomatic ties with 48 African countries since China and Egypt inaugurated such ties 50 years ago,
Over the past half a century, China and Africa have enjoyed close political ties and frequent exchange of high-level visits and people-to-people contacts. China has provided assistance to the best of its ability to African countries, while African countries have also rendered strong support to China on many occasions.
Oct. 25 marks the 35th anniversary for adoption of UN resolution 2758 that restored all the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and expelled the "representatives" of the Taiwan authorities from the United Nations.
Of the 76 votes for the resolution, 26 were from Africa.
African countries have offered generous support to China on foiling Taiwan's attempt to join the United Nations and the World Health Organization, both inter-governmental bodies composed of sovereign states. They also backed China in thwarting anti-China motions introduced by some Western countries at the UN Human Rights Commission, as well as playing a major role in helping China win its bid to host the 2008 Olympics and the 2010 World Expo.
"In recent years, thanks to the joint efforts of the two sides, China-Africa relations have, building on traditional friendship, made new progress, which finds expression in enhanced political relations and closer cooperation in economy, trade, culture, education, and other fields," said Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao visited Africa in April and June respectively, while several dozen African leaders will meet in Beijing for the summit and exchange views with Chinese leaders on enhancing future cooperation.
The FOCAC was founded by China and Africa in 2000. It has become an effective mechanism and important platform for enhancing China- Africa collective dialogue and cooperation in practical terms in the new era.
In recent years, China's foreign trade has increased rapidly, so has its imports from Africa. In 2005, China-Africa trade volume reached 39.8 billion U.S. dollars, including 21.1 billion dollars of import from Africa, which exceeded China's export to Africa.
Enhanced cultural exchanges have contributed to understanding and communication between Chinese and African peoples.
China and African countries have signed 65 culture-related agreements and have carried out 151 cultural exchange programs by the end of 2005.
In the past five years, more than 10 African countries sent over 20 government cultural delegations to China and about 40 African cultural groups came to China for performance tour from 2001 to 2005.
Sino-African cultural exchanges in the new century is featured with large scale cultural activities such as Sino-African Culture Year that China hosted in 2004 under the framework of the forum. During the year, China received nine African art troupes and eight government cultural delegations while dispatching four art troupes and three exhibitions to Africa.
Chinese culture is becoming popular in Africa.
China has set up the Confucius Institute, an institution to teach foreigners Chinese language and culture jointly with Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda and Zimbabwe in their countries.
Statistics from China's Ministry of Education show there are over 8,000 African students learning Chinese and the number is on the rise. Nearly 120 schools in 16 African countries had opened Chinese courses by July 1, 2005, and to meet the increasing need of African students, China has sent nearly 200 teachers to Africa.