A United Nations high-level meeting on Africa's development needs was held at the UN headquarters on September 22, 2008. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who is here for the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly, attended the high-level meeting and delivered a speech.

Yang said in recent years the situation of peace and security in Africa has been continuously improved and the process of regional cooperation and integration has made steady progress with rapid economic growth and accelerating steps of development, which, he said, is encouraging. Meanwhile, Africa is still facing great challenges on its way forward, he added.

"There can be no world peace and prosperity without the development and progress of Africa," Yang said. "The international community should pay greater attention to Africa, support the efforts by the governments and peoples of Africa in their development, continue to maintain the peace and stability of Africa, implement assistance commitments, strengthen Africa's capacity-building, and help Africa cope with global challenges," Yang said.

China's cooperation with Africa is an important part of South-South cooperation, and further strengthening friendly collaboration with Africa and supporting the continent's efforts to achieve peace and development is a policy unswervingly pursued by China, Yang said. For more than five decades, the Chinese government has provided assistance within its ability to Africa, the minister said, noting that within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China has written off 308 tranches of debt owed by 34 African debt-stricken and least developed countries and trained more than 22,000 Africans in various fields.

China will continue to enhance communication and coordination to further implement the achievements of the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, with concrete and effective measures to support Africa's development and advance the new type of strategic partnership between China and Africa, Yang said. In the next five years, the minister said, China will provide further assistance to African countries in such areas as agriculture, education, health, medical care and clean energy.

The participants at the meeting discussed such issues as Africa’s peace and security, development and poverty relief and prevention of diseases around the theme of “Africa’s development and needs”. More than 40 heads of state and government from around the world and representatives from international organizations attended the event.