On July 4, 2025, an article titled “Strengthening China-Africa Unity and Cooperation for a Brighter Future”by H.E. Lu Xu, Chinese Ambassador to Malawi, was published in the Nation and Daily Times, introducing the congratulatory letter which Chinese President Xi Jinping sent to the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and highlighting the achievements of the Meeting. The following is the full text of the article:

June in Changsha city, in height of summer, with everything flourishing, where China welcomed African ministers to reunion at the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation(FOCAC) and the 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, Minister Hon. Nancy Tembo, Minister Hon. Simplex Chithyola Banda, Minister Hon. Eng. Vitumbiko Augeans Zasamula Mumba, Minister Hon. Kenneth Zikhale Ng'oma from the Republic of Malawi found themselves overwhelmingly busy among some 100 ministerial officials from FOCAC member states. 

China announced to implement zero tariff policy on 100% of taxable products for 53 African countries with diplomatic relations, and on top of which China would be ready to further facilitate the least-developing African countries to enjoy market access of commodities to China, capacity building and products promotion and etc., to honor its commitment to high-standard opening-up.

Last September, the FOCAC Beijing Summit ushered China-Africa relations into a new phase of jointly building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, where joint commitment to the six-point proposition on endeavor to advance modernization with Ten Partnership Actions was made. Key areas of cooperation covered green industries, e-commerce, digital payments, science and technology, and artificial intelligence. Thanks to the concerted efforts made by all participants, the last-year Summit has already yielded a number of encouraging early harvests. 

Both H.E. President Xi Jinping and H.E. President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo i.e. the forum’s African co-chair, sent congratulatory letters to the ministerial meeting. 

In the letter, H.E. President Xi pointed out that over the past 25 years, FOCAC has driven the vigorous growth of China-Africa cooperation, and China remains committed to creating new opportunities for the world through new achievements in modernization, and providing new momentum for Africa and other Global South partners through China’s big market.

Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. The China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South was issued then, highlighting the consensus reached by all participants on further solidifying strategic trust, practical cooperation, and multilateral coordination, including executing the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges in 2026.

As the world’s largest developing country and the continent with the highest concentration of developing nations, China and Africa represent the backbone of the Global South. The more China and Africa strengthen cooperation, the more hope there will be for the development and revitalization of the Global South, and the more guaranteed international fairness and justice will be, especially when the current international landscape is marked by intertwined changes and turbulence. As the Changsha Declaration indicates, the rise of the Global South reflects the trend of our times. Both China and Africa are integral forces in this movement. By listening to the strong calls of the people for unity instead of division, cooperation instead of confrontation, and righteousness instead of self-interest, together, China and Africa should uphold mutual assistance as guardians of Global South solidarity, champion openness and international free trade, pursue win-win cooperation in global development, defend fairness and justice in the international order, promote cultural diversity through exchanges and mutual learning.

Not long ago, I visited the southern region of Malawi and met with people from all walks of life. Everyone was full of confidence in developing China-Malawi relations and expressed a strong desire to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, especially in economic and trade dimensions. China and Malawi have signed protocols on quarantine and sanitary requirements for Malawian groundnut, soy beans and macadamia exporting to China, where more and more Malawian top agricultural products will be accommodated, with both Chinese consumers there and Malawian farmers here as the direct beneficiaries, and furthermore, to bring back more foreign exchange earnings to this country.

On the journey to modernization and a shared future, China and Malawi are good partners guided by the important consensus of the two heads of state. I believe that by standing shoulder-to-shoulder, China and Malawi will make our strategic partnership even stronger and deliver more benefits to our two peoples.