Beijing, Feb 9 (IANS): Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday congratulated African countries and their people on the holding of the 33rd African Union (AU) summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

In his congratulatory message to the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the AU, Xi pointed out that since last year, under the guidance of the AU, African countries have actively explored development paths suited to their own conditions and adhered to dealing with African affairs in African ways, Xinhua news agency reported.

Noting the official launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Xi said that Africa has made solid progress in its unity and self-improvement and its global influence has increasingly grown.

Xi noted that the China-Africa relationship is currently at its best in history, adding the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) led to a new wave in developing the China-Africa friendship, with the implementation of its results injecting new vigour into their practical cooperation in various fields.

As the world is encountering profound changes unseen in a century, jointly building an even closer China-Africa community with a shared future is in the common interests of the Chinese and African peoples, the Chinese president said.

Xi said China will continue adhering to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and the right approach to justice and interests, push for a comprehensive implementation of the results of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, and accelerate the two sides' joint efforts to build the Belt and Road, so as to enable greater contribution to Africa's development and to the benefit of both peoples.