China News Agency, Paris, March 1 (Reporter Li Yang) French President Emmanuel Macron will start a visit to four African countries on March 1.
He visited Gabon as the first stop of this trip, and will then visit Angola, Congo (Brazzaville) and Congo (Kinshasa).
Macron arrived in Libreville, Gabon's capital, on the evening of the 1st local time, and held talks with Gabonese President Bongo.
According to the itinerary, Macron will attend the "One Forest" summit in Gabon with Bongo on the 2nd.
This is an important event during Macron's visit to Gabon.
The "One Forest" summit was unveiled on the 1st and will last for two days.
The summit aims to promote the international community's understanding of the ecological value of tropical rainforests and help forest protection.
The choice of Gabon to hold the summit has practical considerations. The Congo Basin where Gabon is located is considered to have the world's second largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon region.
It is widely expected that Macron will further elaborate on the significance of protecting tropical rainforests through the summit and show that forests can play an active role in combating climate change.
French Minister of Ecological Transition Becho said that the protection of tropical rainforests is "critical" to control global warming and other aspects.
Macron will visit Angola, Congo (Brazzaville) and Congo (Kinshasa) from the 3rd to the 5th.
In addition to meeting with the leaders of the three countries, Macron will also attend local economic and trade forums, cultural exchanges and other activities.
Macron gave a speech earlier this week outlining France's relationship with Africa, saying France planned to "significantly reduce" its military presence there.
He also said France must help promote economic and business ties with Africa, and expressed hope for cooperation between a new generation of French and African entrepreneurs.
At present, the relationship between France and Africa has attracted public attention.
Agence France-Presse reported that Macron's visit was an attempt to "test the new 'responsible relationship' between France and Africa" through diplomatic drive.
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