Chinese President Xi Jinping called on young people from Asia and Africa to strive for the rejuvenation of the two continents under the guidance of the Bandung Spirit on Thursday.

He made the remarks in a congratulatory message to the opening ceremony of the first Asian-African Youth Festival held in Beijing.

Xi proposed to hold an Asian-African youth festival last year when attending the Asian-African Summit and activities commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference in Indonesia.

The Bandung Spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation is a product of the Asian-African Conference in 1955, also known as the Bandung Conference.

The Bandung Spirit has played a major role in advancing Asian-African cooperation and pushing international relations towards the correct direction, Xi said.

He urged Asian and African countries to strengthen their unity and deepen their cooperation, so as to better serve the people of the two continents.

Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech to 600 young delegates from 36 Asian and African countries.

Li expressed the hope that young people from Asian and African countries would become a new force for Asian-African friendship and cooperation, and jointly create a bright future for the two continents.

He called on young people to foster a keen sense of community of shared destiny and strive for building a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at its core, safeguarding the rights and interests of developing nations. T

he Belt and Road Initiative has provided a platform to encourage innovation and start-up businesses among young people, he said.

Li expressed the hope that Asian and African youths will strengthen communication and mutual learning, carry forward the traditional friendship between the two peoples and create a new culture of cooperation.