President Xi Jinping replied on Wednesday to veterans from Zimbabwe, expressing his hope that they will inspire more African youths to devote themselves to the cause of China-Zimbabwe and China-Africa friendship.

The veterans, who served during Zimbabwe's national liberation war, had received military training from Chinese instructors in the 1960s and 1970s. They recently wrote to Xi, expressing gratitude for China's valuable support for Zimbabwe's national liberation and pledging to dedicate themselves to carrying forward the friendship between the two countries.

In his reply, Xi said that the veterans devoted themselves in their youth to the great cause of national liberation and forged a profound friendship and comradeship with China in the struggle. It is deeply moving that to this day, they remain committed to China-Zimbabwe and China-Africa friendship, he added.

Xi noted that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African nations, and is also the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

Over the past 70 years, China has always been a good comrade and partner in Africa's quest for national liberation, development and rejuvenation, he stressed. With mutual respect and mutual support, China and its African friends have navigated challenging times together and jointly embarked on a new journey toward modernization, he added.

Looking ahead, Xi said that China stands ready to take the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship with the African side and jointly create an even brighter future for China-Africa relations.

As the Chinese Year of the Horse approaches, Xi said that he hopes China and Africa will carry forward the tireless spirit symbolized by the dragon and the horse, work together to build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era and write a new chapter in China-Africa friendship.

The letter was delivered to the veterans on Wednesday during a presentation ceremony held at the Chinese embassy in Harare, the capital of the African country.

In November last year, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding received 18 veterans at the embassy, who fondly recalled the days of training alongside their Chinese instructors.

They said they would draw on their personal experiences to tell the younger generation the story of China and Zimbabwe standing with and supporting each other, and continue to lay a solid foundation for the everlasting friendship between the two peoples.