BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The third summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will kick off here on Monday, under the theme of "China and Africa: toward an even stronger community with a shared future through win-win cooperation."

Established in 2000 as an effective mechanism for collective dialogue and multilateral cooperation between China and Africa, FOCAC functions as an important framework and platform for building a new type of partnership featuring long-term stability, equality and mutual benefits.

The third ministerial meeting was held on Nov.3, 2006, in Beijing in the final preparation for the first FOCAC summit held on Nov. 6, 2006 in the Chinese capital.

Themed on "friendship, peace, cooperation and development," the Beijing summit highlighted a new type of strategic partnership established between China and Africa.

It also witnessed the signing of the Declaration of the Beijing Summit and the Beijing Action Plan (2007-2009) with eight policy measures laid out to strengthen cooperation with Africa and support its development.

The second summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Dec. 4-5, 2015, under the theme "China and Africa Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development."

The summit witnessed an upgrade of the China-Africa relationship to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

To carry out the upgrade, ten major China-Africa cooperation plans were announced, covering industrialization, agricultural modernization, infrastructure, financial services, green development, trade and investment facilitation, poverty reduction and public welfare, public health, people-to-people exchanges as well as peace and security.

China also announced funding support totaling 60 billion U.S. dollars to ensure a full implementation of the above plans.

The upcoming Beijing summit on Sept. 3-4 will invite African state leaders, the chairperson of the African Union as well as UN secretary-general as the special guest and 27 international and African groups as observers.

"We believe that with the joint efforts of China and Africa, the Beijing summit will be a great success and establish a new historical monument of China-Africa friendly cooperation," Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.