V.  Preparations for China-Africa Cooperation Forum Beijing Summit and third Ministerial Meeting

According to the follow-up mechanism procedures of the Forum, the fourth meeting of senior officials of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum was held in Beijing in August 2005. A midterm assessment of the follow-up activities of the second ministerial meeting of the forum was carried out at the meeting, while a symposium was held on expanding China's investment in Africa.

In accordance with the wish of African countries, the Chinese side proposed at the meeting holding the "China-Africa Cooperation Forum Beijing Summit and the third Ministerial Meeting" in Beijing in the autumn of 2006. The proposal was well received and given great support by African countries.

In February 2006, Chinese President Hu Jintao personally wrote a letter to the leaders of the 47 African countries having diplomatic relations with China, inviting them to attend the Forum Beijing Summit.  Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai wrote a joint letter to the foreign ministers and ministers of various African countries in charge of economic and trade cooperation to invite them to attend the third ministerial meeting before the summit.

President Jintao's invitation received positive response from the African side, with an overwhelming majority of the member states of the Forum promising to attend the summit at their highest level.      

 The China-Africa Cooperation Forum Beijing Summit will be a great event in the history of China-Africa relations. At the summit Chinese and African leaders will have an opportunity to jointly review the history of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, and discuss how to establish and develop in the new situation a new strategic Sino-African partnership featuring equality and mutual benefit politically, win-win and cooperation economically and exchanges and drawing on by each other culturally,  in order to  jointly map out a blueprint for the future development of China-Africa relations, and draw up a specific plan for such cooperation in the economic and trade areas in next three years.  
  

Preparations for the summit are now proceeding at a fast pace. Both China and Africa have attached great importance to the summit, and have maintained close contacts on such the preparations.

We believe that thanks to the concerted efforts of and cooperation between both sides, the Beijing summit will certainly become a grand and pragmatic event; and that the China-Africa Cooperation Forum -- a great ship carrying China-Africa relations in the new century -- will surely sail toward a bright future of China-Africa friendship!