The first China-Africa Youth Festival opened in Beijing Monday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People. 

Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a message to participants of the festival, expressing his congratulation on the festival's inauguration. 

Wang Zhaoguo, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress attended the opening ceremony.

Wang noted that in the new century, China and Africa should learn from each other and develop together. He hoped that the festival will be a platform for the promotion of maintaining good relations and conducting highly effective cooperation between Chinese and African youth organizations.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing also delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, saying that China supports Africa's efforts of developing economy and thanks most of the African countries who support China's great cause of national reunification. 

The festival lasts from Aug. 22 to 31. A total of 132 delegates from 44 member countries of China-Africa Cooperation Forum, representatives of the United Nations and diplomatic envoys of some African embassies in Beijing will attend festival.

The festival is co-sponsored by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and All-China Youth Federation.

More than 300 people attended the opening ceremony, including Zhou Qiang, first secretary of Secretariat of Central Committee of Communist Youth League of China, and Haile Kiros Gessesse, special envoy of Ethiopia to the China-Africa Cooperation Forum.

The festival includes an opening ceremony, a youth cooperation forum, the signing of a Beijing declaration of the forum, a dialogue between Chinese and African youth leaders and some exchange activities of young entrepreneurs.

The African delegates will also visit to the central China provinces of Hubei and Henan before gathering again in Guangzhou for a closing ceremony.

The festival was originally a proposal by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the second China-Africa Cooperation Ministerial Conference in Ethiopia in December 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2004)