The Second Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation was convened in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia between December 15 and 16 in 2003.

Through bilateral communication and co-ordination, the theme of the conference was set as solidifying and developing China-Africa friendship, and promoting and expanding mutually beneficial co-operation.

The purpose of the conference was set as carrying out practical co-operation and taking specific action.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and 13 African leaders including Ethiopian President Girma Wolde Giorgis attended the opening ceremony of the conference.

Also present at the conference were more than 70 ministers in charge of foreign affairs and international trade and economic co-operation from China and 44 African countries, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, a representative of the UN secretary-general, and several representatives of international and African regional organizations.

Malawi and Swaziland, which did not have diplomatic relations with China, also sent representatives to the meeting as observers.

Leaders from China and African countries and ministers reviewed the follow-up actions taken after the first ministerial conference in Beijing, primarily discussed new measures to deepen co-operation in political affairs, and economic and social development, and reached an extensive consensus.

The conference issued the Addis Ababa Action Plan (2004-06), mapping out the overall plan for China-Africa co-operation over the following three years.

Among the newly elected Chinese leaders, Premier Wen Jiabao was the first to visit Africa, reflecting the consistent policy of the Chinese Government on attaching great importance to Africa. Addressing the opening ceremony of the conference, Premier Wen put forward a four-point proposal on promoting China-Africa relationships:

Supporting each other, promoting further development of traditional China-Africa friendship, further increasing high-level exchanges, deepening mutual political trust, and solidifying the co-operative basis;

Increasing consultation, advancing the democratization of international relations, and advocating exchanges with different cultures and drawing on different development modes from all over the world.

Co-ordinating positions to jointly meet the challenges posed by globalization, urging the international community to help developing African countries improve their self-development capabilities, promoting South-South co-operation and North-South dialogue, and safeguarding the rights and interests of developing countries.

Deepening co-operation, and creating a new level of China-African relations.

Premier Wen also announced that China would open its market, and provide tariff-exemption treatment to some goods exported to China from the least developed countries in Africa.

China would further its co-operation with African countries in human resources development and would substantially increase spending on training for Africans and try to train some 10,000 professionals of all types for African countries within three years.

Meanwhile, China would encourage domestic enterprises to co-operate with their African counterparts based on mutual benefits, and would support domestic enterprises in investing in Africa and expanding tourism co-operation, and grant destination status for self-funded Chinese tourists to Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Tunis, and Zambia.

China would also increase cultural and non-governmental exchanges, and host the China-Africa Youth Festival, "Meet in Beijing" International Arts Festival, and "Chinese Culture Tour in Africa" in 2004.

Thanks to the close co-operation between the two sides, the second Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) ended on a high note.

The Action Plan adopted by the conference emphasized pragmatic action. During the conference, China introduced a series of new concrete co-operation measures, with the aim of helping African countries achieve development and overcome practical difficulties. This provided a powerful driving force behind the growth of friendly China-Africa co-operation.

Meanwhile, the first China-Africa Business Conference was held before the conference. Nearly 500 Chinese and African entrepreneurs attended the conference. Contracts were signed for 16 co-operation projects, and letters of intention for co-operation in 15 projects were also signed, to the tune of US$500 million.

The business conference created a successful precedent for exchanges between Chinese and African entrepreneurs. As a result, both sides decided to list the business conference as a major component of the FOCAC and to hold it simultaneously with the ministerial conference in the future.

Fruitful results

Since early 2004, 19 presidents, eight prime ministers, three vice-presidents and 21 foreign ministers from African countries have visited China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing visited six African countries earlier this year. For 16 straight years Chinese foreign ministers chose Africa as their first overseas visit destination.

President Hu Jintao visited Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya in April; Premier Wen Jiabao visited Egypt, Ghana, the Congo, Angola, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda in mid-June.

In January this year, the Chinese Government issued an official paper titled "China's African Policy." In the document, it expressed the intention to form and develop a new type of strategic partnership with Africa, which would feature equality and mutual trust politically, mutual co-operation economically and draw on each other culturally.

China and African countries have continued to maintain close co-operation in international affairs. In multilateral arenas such as the United Nations, China has supported, as always, Africa's reasonable propositions and paid close attention to its concerns.

Source: www.focacsummit.org

(China Daily 11/03/2006 page20)