(1)

China sees Africa as an important focal point for its
diplomatic initiatives and the cementing of political ties, which have been highlighted by frequent high-level meetings and visits  between China and the continent.  
.
Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong - during his visit to SA in June this year - cited cooperation between China and Africa as "a worthy example of successful South-South cooperation".

China believes that greater solidarity and cooperation between China and Africa serve the common and long-term interests of the Chinese and African people.

Ms. Xu Jinghu, Director-General of the African Department in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, points out that  
since China's new government took office in March 2003, Chinese leaders have held more than 100 meetings and consultations with African leaders at deputy prime ministerial level and above.  

By July this year, top Chinese leaders such as President Hu Jintao, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Vice President Zeng Qinghong had all concluded trips to Africa.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has long urged the UN to pay attention to African issues and to support the efforts by African countries to safeguard their legitimate rights, says Xu.

Joint efforts by China and Africa at the WTO talks in Cancun last year achieved a measure of success for developing countries, while African countries have rendered support to China on various occasions, she adds.

Says Chinese Vice President Zeng: "For more than 50 years, China and Africa have given each other understanding and support and stood shoulder to shoulder in good times and bad.

"To foster a partnership with African countries that features sincere friendship, equality, mutual support and close cooperation is a foreign policy that China will always stick to," Zeng emphasises.

Economic cooperation and trade between China and Africa have
developed rapidly in recent years, an area which China believes holds great potential.

In 2003, trade between China and Africa hit a new record high, reaching USD 18.55 billion, increasing by 49.7% over the previous year and 23 times the figure of 25 years ago.

Exports to China from African countries have risen substantially, resulting in a steady reduction of their trade deficit with China.

According to Chinese Customs statistics, the volume of Sino-Africa trade reached USD 12.68-bn in the first half of this year, increasing by 48.1% over the same period last year.

Of this, exports from Africa to China accounted for USD 6.9-bn - ,
a striking growth rate of 67.9% compared with that of the first half of 2003 - while imports by Africa from China reached USD 5.78 billion, representing an increase of 29.9%

Investment by Chinese companies to Africa has also increased significantly.

In the first half of 2004, according to China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC), 36 non-financial Chinese enterprises were given permission to set up operations in Africa - a 111.76% increase over the number approved by the MOC in the same period of 2003.

Gross investment by these enterprises reached USD 209-million, an elevenfold increase over the figure for the first half of last year. Of this, Chinese investment accounted for USD 204-mn, an increase of 19 times the previous figure.  

By the end of June this year, 674 Chinese enterprises had been established in African countries, ranging from processing, manufacturing, transportation, telecom and agriculture to resources development - with a gross investment of USD 1.51-bn.

The Chinese Government has also set up a special fund for State Owned Enterprises and preferential loans for other Chinese enterprises, in order to encourage and facilitate Chinese investment in Africa. By the end of June this year, 722 turnkey projects had been completed in 48 African countries with the assistance of Chinese enterprises.

There has also been extensive cooperation in a number of other fields.

* China has sent more than 10,000 agro-technicians to Africa since the 1960s, assisting 40 African countries to undertake close on 200 agricultural projects, including the establishment of farms and agro-technical stations and the training of personnel.

* Since the first Chinese medical teams were sent to Algeria in 1963, China has designated more than 15,000 medical personnel to 47 African countries, offering treatment to more than 170 million African patients.

In Tanzania, more than 10,000 HIV/AIDS patients have received treatment from Chinese doctors through a project established in 1987 to treat the disease with traditional Chinese medical science.

Currently, there are 35 Chinese medical teams consisting of 880 medical personnel working in 34 African countries.

* From 1956 to 2002, a total of 15 333 African students who benefited from full scholarships provided by the Chinese Government completed their studies in China. The Chinese Government provides more than 1 500 of these scholarships for African students every year. In 2002, 1 646 African students were studying in China, accounting for one third of the total number of foreign students that year.

(2)

FORUM ON CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION

The Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) - launched in October 2000 in Beijing - is a platform established by China and African countries for collective consultation and dialogue.

It also serves as a cooperation mechanism between developing countries, within the category of South-South cooperation.

The Forum, characterised by the principles of pragmatic cooperation, equality and mutual benefit, has drawn plaudits from African member states, says H.E. Mr. Liu Guijin, Chinese Ambassador to S.A., as well as former Secretary General of the FOCAC secretariat.

During the first three years after the 2000 FOCAC Ministerial Conference in Beijing, follow-up actions by the Forum have achieved gratifying results, says Ambassador Liu, and political exchanges and cooperation on various fields have been strengthened.

By June 2002, China had signed debt exemption protocols with 31 African states, cancelling 156 African debts with a total value of 10.5 billion RMB yuan (equal to USD 1.27-bn), thus making good its  promise to complete the reduction of African debts ahead of schedule, according to officials from the Ministry of Commerce of China.

China has continued to provide, within its capacity, assistance to African countries "with no political strings attached."

It signed 245 new agreements with African countries on economic assistance, accounting for 44% of the total value of China's new foreign aid programe in the period since FOCAC was launched.

China also set up the African Human Resources Development Fund and  sponsored nearly 300 training courses of various forms, training more than 6,000 African personnel in areas of diplomacy, economic management, national defence, agriculture, medical treatment, education, science, technology and culture. Some 500 visits have been made to African countries by Chinese experts and teachers.

Three African countries, SA, Egypt and Morocco, were given the status of destination countries for outbound Chinese tourists, thus strengthening China-Africa cooperation in tourism.

At the Second Ministerial Conference of FOCAC held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, China made new commitments to its African counterparts in a number of fields. It pledged to:

* Continue to increase assistance to African countries under the FOCAC framework.

* To open up the Chinese market and to grant tariff-free market access to some commodities from the least developed countries in Africa.

* To strengthen cooperation with Africa in human resources development and train up to 10,000 African personnel in different fields in three years.

* To expand tourism cooperation with Africa and to give eight African countries - Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Tunisia - approved destination status for outbound Chinese tourists who cover their own travel expenses.

* To sponsor "Meet in Beijing"- an international art festival focusing on African arts and the "Voyage of Chinese Culture to Africa".

* To increase people-to-people exchanges with Africa including a  proposed  "China-Africa Youth Festival" to be held in China in 2004.

Although it has been less than one year since the Second Ministerial Conference of FOCAC, some of these commitments have already  materialised while substantive progress has been made in others, says Ms. Xu Jinghu, Director-General of the African Department in Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In July this year, China drew up a list of zero-tariff commodities and a corresponding rule of origin regarding 187 tariff items, which would apply to 28 LDCs in Africa with which China has diplomatic relations.

Once various procedural matters have been finalised, the Chinese Customs will grant zero-tariff treatment to the listed products from January, 2005.

China has increased the level of financial input as well as the scale of training programmes. In addition, it has established the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Mechanism on Foreign Human Resources Development Cooperation and is actively exploring the possibility of sending youth volunteers to Africa.

The Ministry of Commerce, for example, this year doubled its financial input for the training of African personnel and plans to hold 102 administrative and technical programmes for Africa compared with 50 last year. In total, China plans to train up to 3,000 African personnel in different fields in 2004.

"Meet in Beijing", a month-long international art festival with African culture as the main theme, was held successfully in Beijing from late April to early May this year. A large cultural event "Voyage of Chinese Culture to Africa" was formally launched in SA in July and the "China-Africa Youth Festival" was held in Beijing from August 22-31..

Furthermore, China has signed MOUs with the eight African countries which have been given approved destination status for outbound Chinese tourists who cover their own travel expenses.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Second Ministerial Conference of FOCAC in Addis Ababa, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao expressed his confidence in this Forum.

"The launch of FOCAC ushered in a new era of cooperation between China and African nations," he said.

"The Forum follow-up activities have been implemented as a strong support to the brotherly African nations and people in their endeavours to overcome difficulties and realise national rejuvenation and development, testifying to the broad prospect and strong vitality of China-Africa friendship and cooperation under the new historical conditions."

(3)

A HELPING HAND FOR THE PEACE OF AFRICA

In April this year, a further 205 Chinese soldiers left China for the West African state of Liberia to carry out peacekeeping duties under the UN banner.

This brought to 558 the number of Chinese peacekeeping troops stationed in that war-torn country, based near Monrovia.

According to Wang Huijun, a senior colonel in the General Logistics Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), Chinese troops to Liberia consist of three companies - an engineering battalion, transportation companies and medical personnel.  

Wang Huijun says the main tasks of the Chinese troops are, among others, to build roads and barracks, repair airports, maintain water and electricity supplies, transport personnel and material supplies for UN troops and to provide medical assistance to local people.

According to officials in the General Logistics Department of the PLA, this is the largest peacekeeping force sent by China at the request of the United Nations to participate in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa. Some 175 engineers and 43 medics were sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo last year.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China attaches great importance to the UN peacekeeping missions. In Africa,
it supports organisations such as the African Union, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Organisation of West African States (ECOWAS) in their efforts to independently resolve conflicts in the region. .

By the end of July 2004, China had sent some 1401 peacekeeping troops to take part in nine UN missions in Africa - in Namibia, Western Sahara, Mozambique, Ethiopia-Eritrea border, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi, DRC and Liberia.

In the first seven months of 2004 alone, China sent 567 peacekeepers to Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi, DRC and the Ethiopia-Eritrea border. Currently, there are 840 Chinese peacekeepers participating in seven UN missions in Africa.

China believes that adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and norms governing international relations - especially the principles of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in member states' internal affairs - form the important basis for successful peacekeeping operations.

It says the peacekeeping actions should reflect the collective will of the people of the country concerned and should abide by the principles of impartiality.

China's view is that eliminating the root cause of conflicts and assisting developing countries - especially helping African countries to eradicate poverty - is the only way to guarantee genuine lasting peace in Africa and the world at large.

(ends)