The 2022 China (Zhejiang) Forum on China-Africa Economic and Trade Relations and the China-Africa Cultural Cooperation and Exchange Week kicked off in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, on Nov 21, with a call for further cooperation between China and Africa.

The friendship between China and Africa has a long history. People in China and Africa have been consistently pushing for the building of the China-Africa community with a shared future and have embarked on a distinctive road of win-win cooperation, said Gao Yunlong, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, when addressing the forum via video link.

Gao said that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China not only has a profound influence on China, but has also injected fresh impetus into the world for jointly tackling global challenges and achieving common development.

Gao, also chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), said that China and Africa should uphold the spirit of innovation in a bid to open up a new realm of high-quality development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. People-to-people connectivity and exchanges should also be further enhanced to strengthen the foundation of the friendship between the Chinese and African people.

He suggested that corporate social responsibility be firmed up and more enterprise envoys be cultivated to benefit people's livelihoods in Africa.

China and Africa have promising prospects in economic and trade cooperation. The ACFIC will actively play its role to further strengthen exchanges and deepen cooperation with relevant parties, earnestly implement the follow-up actions of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and make greater contribution to the building of a community with a shared future for China and Africa in the new era, said Gao.

Some 400 participants from China, Africa and international organizations, including experts and scholars of African research, representatives of business associations and international students, were in attendance of the opening ceremony of the event.

The week-long event will present a total of 20 special-feature activities, including symposiums, trade talks, tourism and cultural exchange activities, according to the organizers.

The forum was co-sponsored by the ACFIC, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and the People's Government of Zhejiang Province.