CHANGSHA, June 12 -- The fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo opened on Thursday in the central Chinese city of Changsha, highlighting the commitment of the world's largest developing country to strengthening ties with Africa, the continent with the largest number of developing nations.

Nearly 4,700 Chinese and African companies as well as over 30,000 participants will attend the four-day event, themed "China and Africa: Together Toward Modernization." The value of cooperation projects preliminarily agreed upon surpasses 11 billion U.S. dollars, according to organizers.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the opening ceremony on Thursday, expressing the belief that the expo will create more opportunities for China-Africa cooperation and yield more results.

"No matter how the international landscape may change, China will always stand firmly with Africa, offering strong support for the continent's modernization and serving as a true friend and sincere brother in Africa's journey toward development," said Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Liberian Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung and Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi also attended the opening ceremony.

Achieving modernization is a shared aspiration of the more than 2.8 billion people in China and Africa, and a key theme of a China-Africa community of a shared future, Wang said.

He said China will continue to carry out exchanges of governance experience with African countries and strengthen the synergy of development strategies between the two sides to fast-track the implementation of the ten partnership actions for modernization.

Wang pledged China's efforts to further open up to Africa by signing more deals of economic partnerships and encouraging the import of more African goods.

China will also deepen practical cooperation to facilitate Africa's industrialization and digital transformation, Wang added.