BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday he stands ready to work with leaders of African countries to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

Xi made the pledge in his message to the 36th African Union (AU) Summit, in which he extended congratulations to African countries and the African people on the opening of the summit.

Xi said the AU, over the past year, has united and led African countries to stand up to global challenges, accelerate the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and play an important role in mediating hot issues in Africa, which has boosted Africa’s international status and influence.

The Chinese president also expressed his sincere hope for African countries and people to achieve greater success on their path of development and revitalization.

China-Africa relations maintained sound momentum in development in 2022, Xi noted, saying that cooperation between China and Africa is moving steadily forward in an all-round, multi-tiered and high-quality fashion, which takes the lead in international collaboration with Africa.

Xi said he is willing to work with African leaders to further enhance friendly cooperation between China and Africa, and facilitate coordination in international and regional affairs