In today's podcast:

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday said that China stands ready to work with Africa to implement 10 partnership actions to jointly advance modernization. He also proposed that bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the level of strategic relations, and that the overall characterization of China-Africa relations be elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Xi made the remarks when delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing.

The Global Times interviewed a number of former officials and pundits from various African countries to share their insights and stories on China. Essam Sharaf, former prime minister of Egypt and chairman of the Egyptian Sharaf Foundation for Sustainable Development, said that China's growing influence in Africa is timely, essential and vital.

As part of our special coverage of the 2024 Summit of FOCAC, the Global Times Life Desk discovered some of the warm stories involving subjects such as cultural exchanges and joint biodiversity conservation that benefit China and Africa's friendship across mountains and seas.

China's Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday announced decisive measures against Canada, including plans to initiate dispute settlement proceedings at the WTO and launch an anti-discrimination probe, after Canada's decision to impose hefty additional tariffs on Chinese products, including electric vehicles, steel and aluminum.

Taiwan's secessionist Democratic Progressive Party authorities, long-time proponents of the "resist reunification by force" doctrine, once again showcased their secessionist nature through the trailer for the latest TV drama series, Zero Day.