The Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Burkina Faso were on Sunday
welcomed and congratulated as new members of the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation.
They were welcomed at the Seventh Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC, which was held on Sunday in Beijing.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Chinese
Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan co-chaired the meeting with South
African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe
Sisulu and South African Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies.
Attending the meeting were foreign ministers and ministers or
representatives responsible for foreign economic and trade affairs from
53 African members of the FOCAC and senior representatives of the
African Union Commission.
Wang said this year marks the 18th anniversary of the establishment
of FOCAC and the forum has become a model of South-South cooperation and
a banner of international cooperation with Africa.
During the FOCAC Beijing Summit, President Xi Jinping on behalf of
the Chinese government will put forward the specific vision on building a
China-Africa community with a shared future, and announce proposals and
measures by the
Chinese side to strengthen China-Africa cooperation in the future,
Wang said, adding that the summit will be a historical one that will
enhance China-Africa solidarity and cooperation.
Sisulu said African countries appreciate China’s long-term assistance
and support, admire its enormous achievements, and are willing to learn
from the country’s development experience.
Sisulu said, African Countries will work closely with China to push for a successful FOCAC Beijing Summit.
NAN reports that according to data from China’s
Ministry of Commerce, established 18 years ago, FOCAC has achieved
fruitful results and has become a significant mark of China-Africa
cooperation.
China-Africa trade volume amounted to $170 billion in 2017, up from just over $10 billion in 2000.
More concrete projects are expected to come into being during the
upcoming series of FOCAC events, including the High-Level Dialogue of
China-Africa Leaders and Business Representatives and the sixth
China-Africa Business Forum.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and
Road Initiative, with more African countries expressing their interest
in joining the grand project.
So far, nearly 10 African countries have signed Belt and Road
cooperation agreements with China, and a few more are in negotiations.
Recently in July, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to
Africa, China signed cooperation documents with Senegal and Rwanda.
Proposed in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk
Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which aims
to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe
and Africa along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.
Cooperation under the initiative, which certainly goes beyond
infrastructure, is expected to be a major topic of the upcoming FOCAC
summit.
China says it is willing to work with Africa to dovetail its Belt and
Road Initiative with the Agenda 2063 of the African Union, the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development of the UN, as well as the development
strategies of individual African countries to explore new opportunities
and inject new impetus for Africa’s development.
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