Interview: China works hard to implement eight new measures on China-Africa cooperation

China is working hard to implement the eight new measures aimed at further strengthening the cooperation between China and Africa, hoping by doing so, the new measures will bear fruits as soon as possible, Chinese Envoy and Deputy Foreign Minister Zhai Jun has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Zhai Jun said to implement the measures, China will coordinate and consult with African countries regularly and listen to the appeals of African countries to make sure that the African people benefit from the measures.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, on behalf of the Chinese government, announced eight measures to boost the pragmatic cooperation between China and Africa and support the development of African countries at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China- Africa Cooperation in November 2006.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, on behalf of the Chinese government, proposed eight new measures while attending the fourth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Sharm El- Sheikh, Egypt in November 2009, which were also aimed at pushing forward the pragmatic cooperation with Africa.

Zhai Jun said the eight new measures touched on many areas including meeting the challenges posed by climate change, helping Africa build financial capability, expanding cultural and people to people exchanges, strengthening scientific cooperation, deepening cooperation in agriculture, health, education and exploring human resources between China and Africa.

The Chinese envoy said the eight new measure were designed to help African countries to solve their current difficulties and to promote the sustainable development of the African continent.

The eight new measures will contribute significantly to Africa's social and economic development, the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are conducive to deepening mutual cooperation between China and Africa and pushing the new strategic partnership between the two sides to a new high, he said.

The Chinese envoy said China has attached great importance to the implementation of the eight new measures and the implementation of the measures is already underway and goes smoothly.

Both China and African countries are shouldering the tasks of country building and social and economic development, and to further strengthen mutual cooperation will facilitate the two sides to learn from each other and attain the aim of common development, he said.

Zhai Jun said China will continue to work hard so as to promote the cultural and people to people exchanges between the two sides, to strengthen cooperation with African countries in the sectors of education, science and technology, health and culture and to promote the understanding and friendship between the Chinese and African peoples.

The Chinese envoy said the year 2010 is an important year in developing the ties between China and Africa.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visited five African countries, namely Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Algeria and Morocco, at the beginning of this year, which was a very successful visit, and it has become a tradition for many years for the Chinese foreign minister to choose African countries for first formal visit in a new year, reflecting that China attaches great importance in strengthening the development of friendly cooperation with African countries, Zhai Jun noted.

With the efforts from both sides, the China-Africa ties will develop deeper and deeper and the prospect for the cooperation between the two sides is surely brighter and more promising, he added.

Zhai Jun arrived in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia on Wednesday. He will attend the forthcoming 14th summit of the African Union from Sunday to Tuesday as an observer.

The 14th AU summit will be held under the theme "Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Africa: Challenges and prospects for Development".

African heads of state and government will assess the progress the continent has made in ICTs development in the past years and map out strategies for the future development so as to bridge the digital gap with the other regions in the world.

Source:Xinhua