KAMPALA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- As African leaders head to China for the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) early next month, Uganda's Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa said the notion of "a community with a shared future" is critical for Africa-China ties.

Kutesa told reporters here on Thursday at a joint press conference with the Chinese ambassador to Uganda that China and Africa share the same aspirations for the wellbeing of their peoples and the growth of their economies.

The Ugandan government shares with China the same principle of multilateralism as opposed to unilateralism, he said, acknowledging globalization as an irreversible trend.

Uganda opposes economic protectionism, he said, hailing the notion of "a community with a shared future" as the future for Arica and China as well as that for mankind.

Ambassador Zheng Zhuqiang said the China-Africa relations have always weighed heavily on China's diplomatic agenda.

He said Africa is an indispensable partner in China's new endeavor to build a global community with a shared future.

"When China develops well, Africa can develop smoothly. When Africa develops smoothly, China can develop better," Zheng said.

He said topics to be discussed at the upcoming Beijing Summit include Chinese capital, technology, equipment, talents, Africa's natural resources, market potential, and others.

The summit scheduled for Sept. 3-4 will be held under the theme, "China and Africa: Toward an Even Stronger Community with a Shared Future through Win-Win Co-operation."

Zheng said that in the last nine years, China has been Africa's largest trading partner. Bilateral trade in 2017 topped 170 billion U.S. dollars, 17 times higher than where it stood in 2000 when FOCAC was just launched.

Zheng added that in the last 18 years, Chinese investment in Africa has grown from scratch to a cumulative 110 billion dollars.