From 3^rd September to 5^th September 2024, His Excellency President Paul Kagame visited China during which he attended the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing.

On 5^th September, President Paul Kagame held a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping at the side-lines of the China-Africa Summit (FOCAC). Their discussions focused on ongoing collaboration in key sectors including health, infrastructure, and technology.

The Heads of State also discussed their mutual commitment to multipolar global governance, based on sovereignty, self-determination, and values.

At the FOCAC Summit, which was attended by various African leaders, President Xi committed up to $50 billion in support to the African countries, which will take various forms including credits and grants.

In his address during a high-level session on State Governance alongside Mr. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress & Member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, President Kagame commended the partnership between Africa and China.

“As new challenges and opportunities emerge on the global front, we are confident that the partnership between Africa and China will only continue to grow stronger.”

“Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, we have made significant gains in trade, industrial cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, demonstrating the vitality of South-South cooperation,” President Kagame said.

Africa stands ready to build on this prevailing momentum, in particular through participation in the three Global Initiatives, on Development, Security, and Civilization, proposed by President Xi Jinping.

However, to do so, we must remain mindful of the importance of effective state governance and support each other to do the right things for our people, the Head of State added.

Over the past 53 years, relations between the two countries continued to grow stronger, characterized by mutual trust and people-to-people interactions.

Rwanda and China have partnered in various sectors including in infrastructure, education and health among others.

In 2023, trade between Rwanda and China surpassed US$ 500 million, reflecting a 16.5% increase from the previous year.

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