On January 8, 2016, when jointly meeting the press with Foreign Minister Harry Kalaba of Zambia in Lusaka, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that guided by the new concept of the 2015 Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation presents three new changes.

Wang Yi noted that the year 2016 is the beginning year of the implementation of outcomes from the FOCAC Summit. Although the world economy undergoes sluggish trend and global trade growth is weak, the positive effects of the forum should be fully released. China-Africa production capacity cooperation and industrial integration are in the ascendant. A large number of Chinese enterprises have invested and established business in Africa. Bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation has resisted the downward trend and seen rapid growth. According to incomplete statistics, the total amount of money concerning cooperation agreements in various fields signed by China and Africa has surpassed 50 billion dollars from the beginning of the FOCAC Summit to July, 2016. A batch of infrastructure, special economic zones and industrial parks are being implemented or put into use.

Wang Yi expressed that the implementation of outcomes from the FOCAC Summit has become a new impetus for China-Africa cooperation. The more encouraging fact is that guided by the new concept of the FOCAC Summit, China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation presents three new changes. First, it gradually transforms from a government-led pattern to a market operation-oriented one; second, it gradually upgrades from the general merchandise trade to production capacity cooperation, processing and trade; third, it gradually shifts from basic project contracting to investment construction and operation. The concept, structure and main body of China-Africa cooperation are advancing with the times and being constantly deepened.

Wang Yi pointed out that these three new changes show that China-Africa cooperation has entered into a new stage of transformation and upgrade as well as embraces new opportunities for mutual benefit and win-win results. Zambia is one of the main practitioners and beneficiaries from the new changes in China-Africa cooperation. The year of 2017 is a key year and a harvest year of the implementation of outcomes from the FOCAC Summit. No matter how the international situation changes, no matter how the world economy changes, China will abide by and keep its promises and work with all African countries to fully implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Summit, so as to bring more benefits to the Chinese and African people at an early date.