The first China-Africa Youth Gala will be held in China from Aug. 22 to 31, according to sources from the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.

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 the nine-day event.

The event will include 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 pay a visit to the central China provinces of Hubei and Henan before gathering again in Guangzhou for a closing ceremony.

This gala will be held in line with the proposal by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the second China-Africa Cooperation Ministerial Conference in Ethiopia in December 2003.

As the sole youth exchange program under the China-Africa Cooperation Forum framework, the gala will be of great significance in promoting mutual understanding among Chinese and African people, particularly among the youth, consolidating and furthering the traditional China-Africa friendship.

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

The China-Africa Cooperation Forum is a collective consultation and dialogue mechanism between China and African countries. The first ministerial meeting of the forum was held in Beijing in 2000.

(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2004)