Premier Wen Jiabao sent a congratulatory message on Sunday to
the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU),
which is held on July 1-3 in Accra, capital of Ghana.
"On the occasion of the assembly, I wish to extend, on behalf of
the Chinese government and in my own name, warm congratulations,"
Wen said in the message.
The AU has grown in strength and played an important role in
upholding peace and stability in Africa, promoting African
integration and coordinating the position of the African countries
on international issues, Wen said.
The Chinese government will carry forward the fine tradition of
China-Africa friendship and boost its cooperation with African
countries and the AU to build on the success of the Beijing Summit
and strengthen the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership
for the benefit of our peoples, he added.
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the AU, which took the
baton from the Organization for African Unity. The AU has led the
African people on a journey of development and renaissance during
the past five years.
Besides, this year also holds great opportunities for
China-Africa relations as it is the first year of implementing the
decisions reached in the Beijing Summit of the Forum on
China-Africa Cooperation, Wen said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2007)
