The Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in September 2018 was a major grand gathering in the new era for China and African countries to seek cooperation and development. Launched in 2000, FOCAC has developed over 18 years and now celebrates its coming of age. During the 18 years of the forum mechanism's operation, China and African countries, building on their historical tradition of friendly cooperation, have carried out extensive cooperation following the principles of equality, mutual benefit, cooperation and win-win outcomes: political mutual trust has been further strengthened, economic and trade cooperation has been continuously deepened, and China and African countries have worked in unity and cooperation, achieving tremendous accomplishments in realizing their respective independent development. FOCAC has thus become a leader in promoting international cooperation with Africa. Standing at the starting point of a new era, the Beijing Summit is an important meeting for China and the many developing countries of Africa to further exchange development concepts under the new circumstances, explore paths to deepen cooperation, seek responses to development challenges, achieve common development and build a new type of international relations.
　　"Win-win cooperation and joining hands to build an even closer China-Africa community with a shared future" — the agenda of this Beijing Summit both reflects the history of China-Africa friendly cooperation in modern times and embodies the main theme of international cooperation in the new era. In the old era when power reigned supreme and hegemony prevailed, the people of China and the many African countries formed a brotherly and comradely relationship of sharing weal and woe in the course of responding to survival challenges. At present, as trade protectionism and anti-globalization sentiment grow increasingly prevalent, China and the many African countries will further raise the level of cooperation in addressing development challenges and form an even closer cooperative and partnership relationship.
　　The "China-Africa community with a shared future" that resonated throughout the summit is a demonstration by China and African countries to the world of their shared development philosophy. From the "UN Millennium Development Goals" to the "2030 Agenda," attention to the common development of all humanity has become a mainstream development concept worldwide in the 21st century. In March 2013, during his visit to Tanzania, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the concept of a "China-Africa community with a shared future," which summarizes and precisely positions the nature of China-Africa relations and reflects the long history in which China and African countries have each paid attention to the other's development needs and core interests, have both regarded the other's development as their own opportunity, and have both actively promoted common development and prosperity through strengthened cooperation. The "China-Africa community with a shared future" is the foundation of the new type of international relations centered on a "community with a shared future for mankind" advocated by China. In January 2017, after Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech in Geneva on "Working Together to Build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind," supporting the social and economic development of African countries in the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind was written into the report of the 55th session of the UN Commission for Social Development and has become an important part of UN resolutions on African development. The summit, with the "China-Africa community with a shared future" as its main theme, fully demonstrates the position of China and African countries in safeguarding the common interests of humanity.
　　The Belt and Road aligns with Africa's development agenda to deepen complementary cooperation. As China's initiative for external cooperation, the Belt and Road aims, under the principles of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits," to innovate growth and development models through "five connectivity" (policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds), promote cooperation among a wide range of countries, create a balanced and inclusive development model for humanity, and advance the common social and economic development of humanity. Affected by various factors, many African countries have long faced the reality that their resource potential cannot be translated into growth and development, and some have even fallen into the predicament of having development resources but no development. Since the 21st century, the African Union has formed a continent-wide consensus and important regional cooperation plans for achieving the goals of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and Agenda 2063 by relying on "resource corridors," "spatial corridors" and "development corridors." As a result, the Belt and Road and Africa's development plans have complementary cooperation space in many fields. The Beijing Summit will make new explorations for effectively integrating China-Africa complementary cooperation.
　　High-level cooperation opens up new paths for development. On the one hand, the FOCAC Beijing Summit will promote cooperation among a broader range of countries worldwide. Both the Belt and Road and FOCAC are open cooperation mechanisms. The Belt and Road Initiative has created an open, inclusive, balanced and inclusive regional cooperation architecture for carrying out regional cooperation on a larger scale, at a higher level and at a deeper level. Against the backdrop of increasing uncertainty in world economic development, only when more countries participate in cooperation, facilitate the flow of market factors, and jointly consult on, build and share an open world economy can inclusive growth and sustainable development of the world economy be promoted. The Belt and Road provides diversified development options and development momentum for the world. On the other hand, the FOCAC Beijing Summit will promote cooperation on a broader range of issues to address the many common problems currently faced globally, such as climate issues, cybersecurity, prevention and treatment of major infectious diseases, and biodiversity conservation.
In the golden autumn of Beijing, the people of the world will witness China and the many African countries, under the Belt and Road Initiative and in the spirit of "sincerity, real results, amity and good faith," building even closer "China-Africa community with a shared future" cooperation.