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President William Ruto will this morning join 52 Heads of State and Government in Beijing for the official launch of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The summit, which occurs every three years, will see Chinese President Xi Jinping outline key investment projects for the African continent, with Kenya as a beneficiary.

The summit aims to engage in equal consultation, enhance understanding, expand consensus, strengthen friendship, and promote cooperation.

“FOCAC has witnessed remarkable achievements and become a salient hallmark of China-Africa Cooperation and a fine example for boosting international cooperation with Africa and deepening Global South Cooperation,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

According to Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the rise of the Global South represented by China and Africa is profoundly influencing the development of human society.

“This summit will surely set a new milestone for the Global South to move forward together toward modernization,” he said.

Wang said that China and Africa have combined their efforts in implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Security Initiative.

He noted stronger solidarity and coordination among the 2.8 billion Chinese and African people will surely inject new momentum into the Global South cooperation.

Since the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC was held three years ago, the building of the China-Africa community with a shared future has been elevated to a new level, Wang noted, adding that China and Africa have worked together to enhance connectivity, and China has been Africa’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years.

Chinese and African leaders will explore cooperation and chart the course for the future under the theme of “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.”

Since the inception of FOCAC 24 years ago, Africa has increased more than 20 times and China’s investment in Africa has grown by over 100 times, with China being Africa’s largest trading partner for 15 years.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China has helped create more than 1.1 million jobs in Africa.

On Tuesday, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign & Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi was among some 53 other Foreign Affairs Ministers from across Africa to lay the groundwork for the FOCAC summit.