BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a letter to congratulate the inauguration of the China-Africa Institute on Tuesday.

In the letter, Xi said the world today is faced with profound shifts unseen in the past century. "As the largest developing country and the continent where developing countries are the most densely located, respectively, China and Africa have enjoyed a time-honored friendship between the people," he noted.

Under the new circumstances, China and Africa's push to deepen traditional friendship, boost exchanges and cooperation, and enhance mutual learning among civilizations will not only benefit the Chinese and the African people but also contribute more greatly to world peace and development, said the president.

Recalling the two sides' joint decision to build a closer China-Africa community of a shared future and implement eight major initiatives at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in 2018, Xi said the establishment of the institute is a move to increase people-to-people exchanges, an important part of the decision.

Xi said he hopes the institute will help draw on both sides' academic resources, enhance understanding and friendship between the Chinese and the African people, and provide good ideas and advice for China-Africa cooperation as well as the cooperation between the two sides and other parties, to contribute to the development of the China-Africa relationship and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

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The inauguration ceremony of the China-Africa Institute is held in Beijing, capital of China, April 9, 2019. Yang Jiechi (2nd L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, read Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter at the inauguration and delivered a speech. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, read Xi's letter at the inauguration and delivered a speech.

Yang said the China-Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has been deepening in recent years. The two sides are committed to working together to create new growth poles for people-to-people exchanges, including think tank cooperation, and actively carry out exchanges of experience in state governance and development.

The China-Africa Institute should seize the historical opportunity, offer ideas and suggestions for China and Africa to better dovetail their strategies and build a higher level of their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and make positive contributions to building a closer China-Africa community of a shared future, said Yang.