Chinese, African leaders hold summit on deepening bilateral cooperation

Dozens of African leaders have descended on Beijing for a summit that signals China's influence in a continent that it hopes will be a key ally in pushing back against a US-led global order.

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to the assembled leaders Thursday that relations with all African countries that have diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the strategic level.

We have always understood and supported each other, setting an example for a new type of international relations," he said at the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.