On March 14, Ambassador Hu Changchun, Head of Mission of China to the African Union, met with the newly-elected Chairperson of the AUC, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. Amb. Mohamed El-Amine Souef, Chief of Staff of the Cabinet of the Chairperson, and Mr. He Youlin, Deputy Head & Minister Counselor of Mission of China, were present.
Ambassador Hu congratulated Youssouf on his taking office and pointed out that China attaches significant importance to developing relations with the AU and African countries. The Chinese side is willing to work closely with the new AUC to implement the follow-up actions of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), deepen cooperation across various fields, and jointly build an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era.
Chairperson Youssouf expressed his appreciation for China's long-term heartfelt support for the AU and Africa's development, reaffirming that AU would continue firm adhere to the One-China principle. He spoke highly of the achievements in cooperation between Africa and China across various fields, noting that the Belt and Road Initiative and the FOCAC actions align closely with the AU Agenda 2063 and he is looking forward to comprehensively strengthening Africa-China cooperation. The AUC will promote the implementation of the follow-up actions of the FOCAC Beijing Summit to elevate Africa-China relations to a new level.