DAKAR (Senegal)/BEIJING, Jan 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China will explore new approaches in a bid to expand imports from Africa, the Director-General of the Department of African Affairs in the country’s Ministry Foreign Affairs Wu Peng said.
Wu says this was part of major takeaways from the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit held last year in Dakar, Senegal. He particularly noted that the latest initiative will see the two sides will work together so as to get a good number of agricultural products from Africa to the expansive Chinese market.
Speaking at a seminar organized by China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) in Beijing, the Chinese top diplomat on African affairs noted that the resolutions made at the eighth ministerial meeting in Dakar would be greatly beneficial to the African people if implemented to the later.
He hopes that the various specific approaches to be rolled out will help African countries expand their exports of agricultural products, promote modern and profitable agricultural practices in the continent and most importantly use this to improve the balance of trade between Beijing and other capitals in Africa.
Addressing the conference Wu noted that FOCAC had opened a new chapter in the history of China-Africa relations, highlighting the nine cooperation areas and a raft of announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Senegal Summit as another milestone in this regard.
“China-Africa cooperation is South-South cooperation and friendly cooperation between brothers. China has always provided assistance for Africa within its capacity according to the will of African countries, and will do its utmost to upgrade China-Africa cooperation and promote high-quality development,” said Wu.
He observed that Africa’s agricultural sector needs great development, because without modern agriculture, industrial development is impossible. He said China will work closely with African countries, making concrete efforts on agricultural cooperation over the next three years.
He said China is ready for the technical exchanges and training on modern agricultural technologies with the African side, and expressed optimism that this will yield great results.
While commenting on the specific approach for African agricultural products, Wu said, not only should African countries make good use of the platforms available and those to be availed, but that Chinese companies should also recognize the good quality of African agricultural products and bring them into the Chinese market.
He also called on other African development partners, including UN agencies, to provide technical support to African countries in obtaining quality agricultural products certificates, so that their products will be easily acceptable to Chinese consumers.
“China hopes that the United Nations system, international organizations and enterprises will strengthen coordination and collaboration in fields such as agriculture, poverty reduction, and promotion of the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa, so as to jointly promote the economic and social development of African countries, and support Africa in its journey towards a greener, more prosperous, and more balanced future.” Wu, who was formerly China’s Ambassador to Kenya.
A total of 130 people, including representatives from relevant Chinese government departments and financial institutions, the African Diplomatic Corps in China, United Nations agencies in China, the African Union Commission, and well-known non-governmental organizations and think tanks attended the CIDCA conference.
The symposium was themed: “Towards a greener, more prosperous & healthier future together.” The meeting was a follow-up on actions of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held after every three years. — NNN-AGENCIES
