Scientific cooperation is one of the most important parts of all-round cooperation between China and African countries. The People's Republic of China has kept ties with African countries for 50 years, and the cooperation has expanded from politics and economic to culture, education, science and public health. The Sino-African scientific cooperation has turned to the comprehensive, multi-layer cooperation in various spheres from the mono-cooperation between governments.

Since the establishment of Sino-African Cooperation Forum, China has strengthened her relationship with the African countries and the scientific cooperation between China and African countries has greatly developed.

From the early days of the foundation of PRC to 1978, the Sino-African scientific cooperation focused mainly on the national independency of African countries and anti-racism. There was virtually no scientific cooperation, but what are more important were China's aids to African countries without any preconditions. Since China started her reform and opening up policies towards the end of last century, the Sino-African cooperation showed new characteristics on the mutual cooperation, with China's booming economy and the economic structure adjustment of African countries. At the end of 1982, China put forward four principles for the economic and technical cooperation with the African countries: equal, efficient, diversified and co-development. Since then, the Sino-African scientific cooperation has turned to: agriculture, forestry, energy, mechanism, environment, communication and satellite.

What is exciting is the Cooperation Forum between China and African countries at minister level in October, 2000, which was the landmark of strengthening scientific cooperation between China and African countries. During the six year since the forum, China has relieved 156 sums of debt, a total of up to 10.5 billion Yuan (1.3 billion US dollars) and exempted from customs duty 190 types of goods from the 16 most undeveloped countries in Africa. All these have provided a great stage for the scientific cooperation between China and African countries.

In recent years, the Sino-African scientific cooperation is developing well with the establishment of strategic partnership between African countries and China.

President Hu Jintao put forward five methods to strengthen the cooperation between China and other developing countries in a UN conference on September, 2005. He said in the conference that China will increase her aid to the developing countries especially the African countries over the next 3 years.

Sino-African cooperation is a systematic and long-term program. We need to take mutual needs into account as well as the sustainable development of China, Africa and the world. Under the current situation, strengthening scientific cooperation between China and African countries can not only develop the traditional friendship but also put forward the comprehensive development of strategic partnership between China and African countries.

By People's Daily Online