An exhibition to show the achievements made during the six years after creation of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Beijing on Friday on the eve of the two-day Beijing Summit.

The exhibition, through some 250 pictures, showed the achievements in cooperation and exchanges between China and Africa in fields of politics, economy, trade, education and security.

In a speech at the opening ceremony, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said FOCAC, which was set up in 2000, is the natural fruit of years of sincere friendship on the basis of equality and mutual assistance between China and Africa.

Recalling the achievements will further strengthen bilateral understanding, friendship and cooperation, he said, adding China and Africa will forever be all-weather friends, good partners and brothers.

FOCAC is a mechanism for collective dialogue and cooperation jointly established by China and Africa to cope with new challenges and facilitate common development.

Beijing Summit, slated for Nov. 4-5, will draw leaders and senior officials from 48 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China.

Since FOCAC was established six years ago, economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa has entered a new era, with comprehensive, rapid and stable development.

The two-way trade volume reached US$39.8 billion in 2005 and China has exempted 10.9 billion yuan of debts of 31 heavily indebted poor countries and least developed countries in Africa.

Until August of this year, China had trained over 11,000 personnel for African countries.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2006)