BEIJING — China on Feb 5 announced that Kuang Weilin has been appointed the first head of its permanent mission to the African Union (AU).

Kuang, a veteran diplomat, told a press briefing that the mission to AU headquarters in Addis Ababa will open soon.

“The mission will have political, economic, cultural, peace and security departments, which will benefit comprehensive cooperation and exchange between China and the AU,” Kuang said.

Since 2005, the Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia has also been the representative to the AU. The establishment of the mission was announced during Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to AU headquarters in May 2014.

“China is ready to strengthen cooperation with the AU to push the new China-Africa strategic partnership to a new high,” Kuang said.

Kuang will explore new channels of cooperation such as poverty alleviation and human resource development, while advancing the AU as the central strand of the China-Africa relations.

The sixth ministerial conference of the forum on China-Africa cooperation will be held in the fourth quarter in South Africa and map out China-Africa cooperation for the coming three years.

Kuang began his career in the Foreign Ministry in 1982, and has worked in China’s missions to Britain, the United Nations and the United States, and was ambassador to Sierra Leone.