Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 17th, title: Promoting the high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation-the Ministry of Commerce details the economic and trade work of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Yuxiao
The 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will be held in Senegal at the end of November. What new progress has been made in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation? How will the new forum meeting contribute to the high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation? At the press conference held by the State Information Office on the 17th, focus on the economic and trade work of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Qian Keming, Vice Minister of Commerce, responded to related questions.
High-quality implementation of the “Eight Major Actions”, new progress has been made in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation
Qian Keming introduced that since the conclusion of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce, in conjunction with relevant departments, has steadily promoted the high-quality implementation of the “Eight Major Actions”, leading China-Africa economic and trade cooperation to overcome the impact of the epidemic, quickly stabilize and improve, and make new progress.
Statistics show that from January to September this year, various indicators of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation showed an overall upward trend. Among them, China-Africa trade volume reached US$185.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 38.2%, reaching the highest level in the same period in history. China’s direct investment in non-industry sectors was US$2.59 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.9%, which has exceeded the level of the same period in 2019 before the epidemic.
Facing the challenge of the epidemic, the China-Africa Unity Anti-epidemic Special Summit was successfully held, and the focus of cooperation was adjusted in time to favor health, resumption of work and production, and improvement of people’s livelihood; in response to the difficulties in personnel exchanges caused by the epidemic, the network was used to promote personnel training and set up 14 in Africa Luban Workshop conducts vocational training on the spot; actively expands emerging areas of cooperation, and the Chinese e-commerce platform has greatly increased the sales of African agricultural products in China…
“Behind the report card is the unremitting efforts of both China and Africa to overcome the difficulties.” Qian Keming said that the “Eight Major Actions” strongly supported the economic and social development of African countries and the improvement of people’s livelihood. The convening of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will further consolidate China-Africa strategic consensus and point out the direction for the sustainable and high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation.
On November 17, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to invite Vice Minister of Commerce Qian Keming to introduce the economic and trade work of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and answer questions from reporters.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Cai Yang
Focus on the future and promote the high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation
Under the impact of the epidemic, both China and Africa are facing dual pressures to prevent the epidemic and stabilize the economy. Qian Keming said that the new forum will continue to play a strategic leading role, build consensus, pioneer and innovate, and promote the high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation.
Qian Keming said that this conference will focus on Africa’s economic and social development under the epidemic situation and new opportunities for China-Africa cooperation. It will cover traditional areas of China-Africa cooperation and support Africa’s recovery and development, focusing on health, anti-epidemic, people’s livelihood, poverty reduction, and trade. Investment and other fields, expand China-Africa cooperation in emerging fields such as digital economy, green and low-carbon, vocational education, etc.
In addition, the conference will encourage and support more diversified entities such as departments, localities, enterprises, and financial institutions, as well as market-oriented funds such as commercial credit and corporate investment, to participate in China-Africa cooperation, and continue to strengthen China’s active force in cooperation with Africa.
Qian Keming introduced that during the meeting, China and Africa will also jointly release the “China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035”, make a long-term plan for China-Africa cooperation, lay the main framework for cooperation between the two parties in the future phase, and further enhance the forward-looking and forward-looking of the new measures of the forum. Systematic and continuity.
China has always made it its goal to promote the balanced development of Sino-African trade
In response to some countries’ concerns about the “China-Africa trade imbalance”, Qian Keming responded that from a long-term perspective, China-Africa trade is generally balanced.
He introduced that since 2000, China has imported about 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars from Africa and exported about 1.27 trillion U.S. dollars to Africa. In recent years, China-Africa trade volume has been about 200 billion U.S. dollars a year, China’s imports are about 100 billion U.S. dollars, and exports are about 100 billion U.S. dollars. It is balanced in the long run, and it is also balanced on the whole.
Qian Keming said that in Africa, different countries have different resource endowments, economic development levels, industrial structures and foreign trade policies. This determines that at a certain stage, some countries will have a trade surplus with China, and some countries will have a deficit. . China has always set the goal of promoting the balanced development of China-Africa trade, and has never deliberately pursued a trade surplus with Africa. In recent years, China has been working hard to broaden the channels for African products to enter the Chinese market and improve the facilitation of African countries’ trade with China.
“In recent years, China’s imports of agricultural products from Africa have increased very rapidly, with an average growth rate of 11.4% in five years. China has now become the second largest destination for African agricultural exports. In the next step, China will continue to promote African countries and Chinese companies to make good use of them. Fully use various measures to further expand the scale of imports from Africa and promote the high-quality development of Sino-African trade.” Qian Keming said.
Article source: Xinhua News Agency
Editor in charge: Xu Yamin
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