Xi hosts African leaders ahead of grand summit(1/7)

International guests attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) are greeted by children on their way to a welcome banquet held by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, together with international guests attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), enter the venue for a welcome banquet held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

International guests attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) are greeted by children on their way to a welcome banquet held by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, together with international guests attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), enter the venue for a welcome banquet held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

International guests attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) are greeted by children on their way to a welcome banquet held by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

International guests attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) are greeted by children on their way to a welcome banquet held by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, together with international guests attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), pose for a group photo before a welcome banquet held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)