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| 5th Senior Officials Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Held in Beijing |
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| Tuesday,November 14,2006 Posted: 23:08 BJT(08 GMT) Xinhua Net |
The 5th Senior Officials Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Beijing on Nov. 1 and 2, representatives from China and 48 African countries came to the meeting.
Mr. Wei Jianguo, Secretary General of Chinese Organizing Committee for the Summit, Co-chair of the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum and Vice Minister of Commerce, gave a speech at the closing ceremony. He said that during the past 2 days, representatives from all African countries took a diligent attitude, work earnestly and practically with high efficiency on the basis of the principle "Sincerity, Friendship and Equality", an extensive consensus and many positive achievements were made at the Meeting. Meanwhile, Madam Xu Jinghu, Secretary-General of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, briefed the progress of preparation for Special Official Meeting at the meeting. Draft Declaration of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Draft Beijing Plan of Action (2007-2009), Draft of Agenda for the 3rd Ministerial Meting, Draft of Beijing Summit Agenda, Draft Decision on Sponsor of the 4th Ministerial Meeting and Minute of the 5th Senior Officials Meeting were deliberated on and passed, completing the technology preparation for the holding of the 3rd Ministerial Meeting.
Mr. Wei Jianguo said that by request on China and Africa to deepen the bilateral relationship, enhance mutual understanding and strengthen cooperation, Chinese and African leaders proposed together to establish the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and held the first ministerial meeting in 2000 depending on the outstanding political wisdom. In the past 6 years, with the great importance and kind concern of leaders of the two parties, careful foster and persistent efforts of Chinese and African governments and people from various sectors, the Forum pushed forward the China-Africa cooperation to realize exceptional development. From 2000 to 2005, China-Africa trade developed with a high speed on the basis of general balanced situation and the annual increase rate hit 30%. In the first 9 months of 2006, the bilateral trade amounted to US$40.56 billion and would break through US$50 billion in 2006 according to the prediction. The bilateral economic cooperation covered farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery industry, resources exploitation, transportation, water conservancy, electric power, telecommunication, textile, garment, electron, pharmacy, construction material, catering and tourism, and made remarkable achievements. By the end of 2005, China totally invested US$6.3 billion in China and within the capacity, China gradually provided African countries assistance without any political conditions. Since 2004, China took on 149 sets of projects in 44 African countries, 153 technical cooperation projects in 39 African countries and granted 232 batches of materials aid and emergency disaster relief assistance to 48 African countries. Now, China fostered over 10 thousand professionals for Africa in various industries and 17 African countries became the destination of China outbound travel.
Mr. Wei Jianguo pointed out that the Forum on China-Africa cooperation push forward the friendly relations between China and Africa to an unprecedented level of development. First of all, the Summit was a communication and dialogue platform among leaders of China and African countries with the biggest scale and highest level since the establishment of New China. At the Round Table Meeting, multi-lateral and bilateral meeting, Chinese and African leaders would further develop the China-Africa relations and deeply discuss and sincerely exchange on certain important international and regional events with the principle of being faithful and friendly, equality and mutual trust. The Declaration presented the political will of China and Africa, the Action Plan made a general plan for China-African cooperation in the coming 3 years in areas of politics, economy, culture and society. The Summit would further confirm the development direction and cooperation framework of the new China-African strategic partnership with a theme of equality and mutual trust in political, cooperation and win-win in economy, which actively promoted the development of China-Africa friendly relations.
Secondly, since the establishment, the Forum became the major platform of China and Africa to hold group dialogues and launch practical cooperation. The Ministerial Meeting, held every 3 years, and the senior official meeting were the main carriers of the Forum. By now, China and Africa respectively held 2 sessions of ministerial meetings, 5 sessions of senior officials meeting and a special senior official meeting and a China-Africa enterprisers' meeting by turns. During the summit, the Senior Dialogue Between Chinese and African Leaders and Representatives from Business and Commercial Circle and the Second China-African Enterprisers’ Meeting would be held, and meanwhile, China-Africa Joint Committee of Chamber of Commerce would be announced to set up and the regular political dialogue mechanism between Chinese and African foreign ministers were built up, which not only open up a new channel to enhance the political and economic exchanges and cooperation but also improve the mechanism construction of the Forum.
Thirdly, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held better with more vitality, appeal and influence, and became a world famous brand, it was because that China and Africa upheld the spirit of the Forum "practical cooperation and focusing on actions". Under the framework, Chinese government insisted on the principle of "equality and mutual benefit, cooperation and win-win" to put forward measures one by one such as debt relief, free duty and personnel foster to promote China-Africa cooperation to a new stage. Chinese President Hu Jintao would announce a series of important cooperation measures on the Summit, especially the areas of aid, investment, trade and social development, which was put forward by China after completely consideration of the wish of African friends and following the tenet of "deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and realizing common development", the measures could certainly inject new vitality into China-Africa friendship and cooperation.
(Source: Network Center of MOFCOM)
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