Xi charges youths as China hosts China Asia-Africa festival
The first Asia-Africa Youth Festival began yesterday in Beijing, China, with a charge from President Xi Jinping to young people from the two continents to strive for the rejuvenation of their continents under the guidance of the Bandung Spirit.
In his remarks in a congratulatory message to the opening ceremony of the festival held at the Great Hall of the People, Xi urged Asian and African countries to strengthen their unity and deepen their cooperation to better serve the people of the two continents.
The president, who said young people were key to rejuvenating Africa and Asia and the development of mankind, also said Asia and Africa were two continents with three quarters of the world’s population and should therefore imbibe the spirit of cooperation established by their ancestors.
The Bandung Spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, is a product of the AsianAfrican Conference in 1955, also known as the Bandung Conference. It has played a major role in advancing AsianAfrican cooperation and pushing international relations towards the correct direction, Xi said. Xi said he put forward the idea of holding the event last year at the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, where discussions on friendship and cooperation between Asia and Africa as well as their development and rejuvenation, took place.
Chinese Vice President, Li Yuanchao, in a keynote speech to 600 young delegates from 36 Asian and African countries, expressed the hope that young people from Asian and African countries would become a new force for AsianAfrican friendship and cooperation, and jointly create a bright future for the two continents.
He urged young people to foster a keen sense of community of shared destiny and strive for building a new type of international relations with winwin cooperation at its core, safeguarding the rights and interests of developing nations.
Li expressed hope that the Asian and African youths would strengthen communication and mutual learning, carry forward the traditional friendship between the two peoples and create a new culture of cooperation.
Vice President Li who also unveiled the festival’s logo, in his remarks said peace and development remained the themes of the times and called for greater corporation, unity and strength between Asia and Africa countries as he said it was his hope that young people in both continents would promote and take forward the Bandung spirit towards increase mutual learning and mutual understanding.