The African Union (AU) on Saturday marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organization for African Unity (OAU), which is now the AU, with different activities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and here at the Kempinski Hotel in Beijing.

The celebrations kicked off Saturday morning with a special summit of AU heads of states and governments, where the leaders in the presence of other dignitaries had debate on Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance, the theme of the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee.

Top legislator Zhang Dejiang said on Saturday that China is willing to work with African countries to advance the China-Africa new-type strategic partnership to a higher level.

He also extended his congratulations to African countries and people and commended the achievements of independence and development of African countries under the leadership of OAU and AU.