China will fully implement the eight measures for China-Africa practical cooperation agreed at the Beijing Summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation despite the ongoing global financial crisis, Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun said Thursday.
In an interview with Xinhua two days before the opening of the 12th African Union (AU) Summit to be held here, Zhai said even though China itself faced difficulties brought along by the financial meltdown, the Chinese government would make no compromise in regard to cooperation measures with Africa as promised at the Beijing Summit in 2006.
He noted that China's determination to strengthen practical cooperation and to promote the new type of strategic partnership between China and Africa remained unswerving.
"So long as China and Africa continue to support each other and make joint efforts, the Sino-African cooperation will certainly be able to overcome the impacts of the global financial crisis and keep the momentum of sound development," he said.
As the major achievements made at the Beijing Summit, the eight measures for China-Africa practical cooperation have been proved to be fruitful in the past two years under the close cooperation of both sides, Zhai said.
The assistant foreign minister added that China has increased aid to African countries, eliminated tariff for goods from some least developed Africa nations, canceled parts of the debts owed by African countries. He also mentioned that last December, China started construction work for building a conference hall for the AU.
He said China-Africa relations are in a new era of comprehensive and rapid development, and both sides have seen more frequent exchanges of visits by top leaders, higher trade volume and deeper political cooperation.
"China-Africa trade volume reached 106.8 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 45.1 percent year on year and achieved the 100 billion dollars target two years ahead of schedule," Zhai said.
Meanwhile, both sides have intensified personnel exchanges, stepped up cooperation in diseases control, agriculture technology promotion and coordination in major international or regional issues. The assistant foreign minister also thanked African countries for their support and help for the Beijing Olympic Games and the deadly earthquake in China's Sichuan Province last May.
Zhai expected another fruitful year between China and Africa in 2009. Just after the New Year, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi paid a visit to Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi and South Africa. In 2009, China will further push the exchanges of visits by senior officials between China and Africa, and in the later half of this year, the fourth ministerial meeting of the Sino-Africa Cooperation Forum will be held in Egypt, Zhai said.
When talking about cooperation in infrastructure, he said infrastructure building is a major concern of African nations, and also a sector needing much development. China has been mainly cooperating with African partners in this sector in the long term, and many infrastructure development projects that China helped to build have become symbols for Sino-Africa friendship.
In the past 50 years, China has helped Africa build more than 500 infrastructure projects, including roads, railways, sports stadiums and others. Those projects have promoted local economic and social development, increased employment and tax revenue in respective countries, he said.
Besides the aid, Chinese enterprises have also actively participated in the cooperation with their African counterparts in housing, transportation, telecommunication, and many other industries, helping local people to improve their living conditions, he added.
The theme of this African Union Summit is "Infrastructure Development," which fully reveals the urge and high concern of African nations toward infrastructure building.
China will further increase aid and support to Africa's infrastructure construction in the future, and encourage as always various kinds of cooperation between Chinese enterprises and the African counterparts in this sector, the Chinese official said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2009)