Heads of state or government leaders from more than 40 African countries have confirmed their attendance at the upcoming Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
At a press conference Thursday in Beijing, Chinese assistant foreign minister Zhai Jun adds that 48 African countries have confirmed their presence at the occasion.
Upon invitation from Chinese president Hu Jintao, presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Seychelles, South Africa, Algeria, and Egypt will pay a state visit around the forum.
Vice minister of commerce Wei Jianguo says that last year trade volume between China and Africa reached nearly 40 billion US dollars, with an increase of 30% every year. It's expected to exceed 50 billion this year.
According to the minister, delegates in trade and business from both sides will have high-level dialogs after the summit.
 "As a host of the summit, China will take a series of new measures which will benefit economic and social development and trade cooperation between China and Africa, as a guideline for the future cooperation between the two sides."
The summit is scheduled for November 3rd to 5th. It's estimated that 1,700 African delegates will attend the summit. 300 reporters from Africa have already applied to cover the event.
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Director: Liu Chi