Heads of state or government leaders from more than 40 African countries have confirmed their attendance at the upcoming Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Zhai Jun, China's assistant foreign minister, said at a press conference on Thursday that 1,700 delegates will attend the summit, scheduled for November 3-5.

Representatives from more than 20 organizations of the United Nations and African regional organizations have also been invited.

More than 1,000 reporters, including about 300 from Africa, have applied to cover the upcoming event.

The summit, which doubles as the FOCAC's 3rd ministerial conference, will focus on "friendship, peace, cooperation and development".

FOCAC is a mechanism for collective dialogue and cooperation jointly established by China and Africa to cope with new challenges and facilitate common development.

Since the launch of the FOCAC in 2000, two ministerial conferences have been held in Beijing and Addis Ababa.