BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a congratulatory message to the first China-Africa Youth Festival, which was opened here Monday.

    Hu conveyed warmest congratulations on behalf of the Chinese government and Chinese people, as well as in the name of himself, to the festival and African young friends coming from afar.

    "Miles of long distance between China and Africa has never stopped the long-lasting friendship between their people," Hu said.

     Understanding and supporting each other, China and African countries are long-term partners of mutual trust. As the biggest developing country in the world, China shares increasingly more common interests and concerns with Africa, a continent which hosts the highest density of developing countries, he said.

    China and Africa have established a new-type of partnership featuring long-term stability, equality and mutual benefit, and all-round cooperation. China-Africa friendly cooperation has entered a new phase of all-round development, he said.

    Youth is the future of the world. The friendship between young people is the future of China-Africa friendship. The Chinese government always attaches great importance to exchanges between the youth of China and Africa. The active youth friendly exchanges inject youthful vigor to the development of China and Africa relationship, he said.

    China-Africa Youth Festival, with 'carrying forward the traditional friendship for a better future'as its theme, will contribute positively to the promotion of all-round cooperation and common development between China and Africa in the new century,he said.

    "I hope that young friends from China and Africa would learn from each other, enhance understanding and deepen friendship, so as to contribute more to accelerate the future development of China-Africa friendly cooperation, to maintain world peace and promote common development," he said.