Premier Wen Jiabao sent a congratulatory message on Sunday to the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU), which is held on July 1-3 in Accra, capital of Ghana.

"On the occasion of the assembly, I wish to extend, on behalf of the Chinese government and in my own name, warm congratulations," Wen said in the message.

The AU has grown in strength and played an important role in upholding peace and stability in Africa, promoting African integration and coordinating the position of the African countries on international issues, Wen said.

The Chinese government will carry forward the fine tradition of China-Africa friendship and boost its cooperation with African countries and the AU to build on the success of the Beijing Summit and strengthen the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership for the benefit of our peoples, he added.

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the AU, which took the baton from the Organization for African Unity. The AU has led the African people on a journey of development and renaissance during the past five years.

Besides, this year also holds great opportunities for China-Africa relations as it is the first year of implementing the decisions reached in the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Wen said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2007)