President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan wave upon their arrival in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Dec 1, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua]

The following are the major events of the FOCAC in the past 15 years.

In 2000, China and African countries launched the FOCAC as a platform for collective consultation, dialogue and partnership in the form of South-South cooperation, to further strengthen the friendly relations between the two sides, and jointly meet the challenges of the Millennium Development Goals and economic globalization.

The first FOCAC ministerial conference was held in Beijing in October 2000, aimed at addressing globalization and enhancing cooperation between China and African countries.

The conference adopted two official documents, namely the Beijing Declaration and the Program for China-Africa Cooperation in Economic and Social Development.

The documents provided a framework for the establishment of a new-type, long-term and stable partnership of equality and mutual benefit, and a blueprint for China-Africa cooperation in political, economic, social development and other fields in the years to come.

To strengthen the FOCAC mechanism and better implement its follow-up actions, China established its FOCAC Follow-Up Committee in December 2001. The committee is composed of senior officials from 21 ministries, state commissions, and agencies.