Dear Colleagues, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to meet you at the opening of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, as we are gathered here both to renew the friendship between the Chinese and African peoples and discuss ways to boost China-Africa friendship and all-round cooperation. On behalf of the Chinese government and people and in my own name, I wish to extend a very warm welcome to all the distinguished guests coming from afar. I also wish to take this opportunity to convey through you the cordial greetings and best wishes of the Chinese people to the brotherly African people!

In October 2000, FOCAC was set up in response to the call of the times. This initiative demonstrates the shared desire of the Chinese and African people to seek peace, cooperation and development in a changing world. In the past 12 years since its founding, the FOCAC member states, maintaining unity and working together, have made important progress in strengthening this mechanism of cooperation. The theme of the current Ministerial Conference is "build on past achievements and open up new prospects for the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership." China and Africa should, with both current and long-term needs in mind, redouble efforts to draw up a blueprint for promoting our cooperation in the next stage and lay a solid foundation for making new and greater progress in growing China-Africa relations in the years ahead.

尊敬的各位同事、各位嘉賓，

女士們，先生們，朋友們：

今天，有機會同出席中非合作論壇第五屆部長級會議的各位朋友在北京相聚，共敘中非人民友誼，共商全面深化中非友好合作大計，我感到十分高興。首先，我謹代表中國政府和人民，并以我個人的名義，對遠道而來的各國嘉賓，表示熱烈的歡迎！借此機會，我愿通過在座各位非洲朋友，向兄弟的非洲人民轉達中國人民的誠摯問候和良好祝愿！

2000年10月，中非合作論壇應運而生。這一創舉符合時代要求，反映了新形勢下中非人民求和平、謀發展、促合作的共同愿望。論壇成立12年來，各成員國團結一致、密切協作，推動這一合作機制持續向前發展、取得重要成就。本屆部長級會議的主題是“繼往開來，開創中非新型戰略伙伴關系新局面”。中非雙方應該再接再厲、共同努力，既立足當前，又著眼長遠，共同描繪下一階段中非合作發展藍圖，為中非關系取得新的更大的發展打下堅實基礎。