The opening ceremony of the 2026 China–Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges was held on January 8 at the headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa.
Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, attended the event, read out a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, and delivered a keynote speech. Remarks were also made by Jean-Claude Gakosso, Foreign Minister of the Republic of the Congo and African co-chair of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC); AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf; and Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie.
Senior officials from the AU Commission and AU organs, diplomatic envoys of African countries to the AU, senior representatives of United Nations agencies, as well as representatives from the Ethiopian government and various sectors, totaling over 200 participants, attended the ceremony.
