On August 28, 2018, in the TEDA Industrial Park on the banks of the Suez Canal in Egypt, Egyptian workers worked in the production workshop of China Jushi Egypt Fiberglass Co., Ltd. (Jushi Egypt).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Tao
From November 29th to 30th, the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The three-year-cycle meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is a major event between China and Africa. This forum meeting is another grand meeting for the big Chinese-African friendly family after the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. It is also the largest physical diplomacy co-hosted by China overseas since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic. It has received extensive attention from the international community.
“One of the most eye-catching strategic cooperation mechanisms in the 21st century”
“During the prevention and control of the epidemic, Africa and China held this meeting as scheduled, which fully reflects the deepening partnership between Africa and China and the mutual trust and support of the world’s largest developing country and the most concentrated continent.” Beni, Egypt Said Nadia Hillemi, a professor of political science at Suvev University.
An article on the website of American diplomats pointed out that the African continent is still in a state of insecurity and political instability, and most importantly, it is vulnerable to the current global epidemic and its economic aftershocks. This Ministerial Conference is being held against the background of increasingly complex international environments and increasing tensions among major powers. The convening of the conference reflects the deepening of China-Africa cooperative partnership. At present, the areas of cooperation between the two sides have covered economy, culture, security, diplomacy, science and technology, and health. The article pointed out that the China-Africa Cooperation Forum is one of the most eye-catching strategic cooperation mechanisms in the 21st century. Facts have proved that since its establishment in 2000, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has been an effective mechanism for China and African countries to carry out regional cooperation. The summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has become a major event in global politics. With the support of this forum, China-Africa relations have achieved rapid development.
The BBC noted that at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2018, African countries including 40 presidents, 10 prime ministers, 1 vice president and the chairman of the African Union Commission went to China to participate, highlighting the importance of African countries. According to Senegal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Essata Tor Sar, this ministerial meeting assessed the implementation of the follow-up results of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and China-Africa’s anti-epidemic situation, and plans for the next 3 years and more. The development direction of China-Africa relations.
“The establishment of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum is of great significance. It will help Africa and China to understand each other more deeply, and it will also help both parties to determine cooperation areas and refine cooperation goals in a more targeted manner.” said Wesley Douglas, a former member of the National Assembly of South Africa.
The German News Television Channel website reported that at the two-day China-Africa Cooperation Forum meeting, China and Africa planned the development direction of China-Africa relations in the next three years and longer, and injected new ideas into the development of China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership. power.
Senegal’s “Sun” reported that Senegalese President Sall pointed out at the forum that since the establishment of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, Africa and China have been working together in a pragmatic and effective way. He also expressed his expectation that Africa and China will further strengthen their unity and cooperation in the future to adapt to the increasing changes and jointly cope with global challenges. On the same day, the African Business Magazine quoted Senegal’s Foreign Minister Aishata as saying, “The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is our common interest, and its success will bring prosperity to the people of China and Africa and their descendants.”
“The largest vaccine pledge made to Africa”
Under the background that the new crown pneumonia epidemic is still raging around the world, health cooperation will undoubtedly attract attention at this ministerial meeting. According to Efee News Agency, Africa is one of the regions with the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the world, and less than 7% of its approximately 1.3 billion people have been vaccinated throughout the course. Many foreign media such as Agence France-Presse, Russian Satellite News Agency, TASS News Agency have noticed China’s latest commitment to Africa: China will provide Africa with another 1 billion doses of vaccines, of which 600 million doses will be free aid and 400 million doses will be provided by Chinese companies. Provided in the form of joint production with relevant African countries. China will also assist African countries in the implementation of 10 medical and health projects, and dispatch 1,500 medical team members and public health experts to Africa.
“Chairman Xi Jinping announced that China will provide another 1 billion doses of vaccines to Africa. This is a great support for Africa.” Critan Bahana, editor-in-chief of South Africa’s “Foreign Affairs” magazine, said that China regards the health field as a strengthening of Africa-China pragmatism. One of the focal points of the cooperation is not only to provide free vaccine assistance, but also to promote joint production of vaccines and dispatch medical team members and public health experts to African countries. “This is a concrete manifestation of the mutual assistance between Africa and China. China always thinks about what African brothers think and is anxious about what African brothers are anxious about.”
According to the Bloomberg News website, Africa, the world‘s poorest continent, is struggling to deal with a new, potentially more infectious, mutant strain of the new crown. Lena Bin Abdullah, Assistant Professor of Political and International Affairs at Wake Forest University in the United States, said: “Xi Jinping’s keynote speech focused on the most pressing concern of the African continent, that is, the lack of a vaccine to combat the new crown pneumonia epidemic, especially considering the emergence of New mutant strains.” She added that this is the largest vaccine pledge ever made to Africa.
An article on the website of American diplomats pointed out that since the founding of New China, Beijing has always kept its promise to provide public health products to Africa. The Uganda Morning Post website published an article entitled “The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Road to Sustainable Medical Care in Africa”, stating that people are increasingly aware of China’s role in African health assistance. Many African countries have obtained the new crown vaccine from China, which has greatly helped these countries solve the difficulties of vaccine affordability and accessibility. China has also donated emergency aid supplies such as materials and testing reagents to African countries, and trained medical staff to improve their knowledge and skills in fighting the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
According to the analysis on the website of Zimbabwe’s “Sunday Post”, the China-Africa Cooperation Forum has laid the foundation for China-Africa health cooperation. When the two sides hold the China-Africa Cooperation Forum meeting, there will be enough reasons to think and plan how to respond to a disease outbreak of the scale of the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
“Africa-China cooperation injects confidence and impetus into the development of African countries”
In addition to health cooperation, the recovery after the epidemic is also an important topic of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
The Senegal News Agency noted that prior to this ministerial meeting, the White Paper “China-Africa Cooperation in the New Era” issued by the Information Office of the State Council of China pointed out that by the end of 2020, Chinese enterprises had accumulated more than US$43 billion in direct investment in Africa. China has established more than 3,500 enterprises of various types in Africa, and private enterprises have gradually become the main force in investment in Africa, employing more than 80% of local African employees, directly and indirectly creating millions of jobs. In addition, China has been Africa’s largest trading partner country for 12 consecutive years since 2009. The proportion of China-Africa trade in Africa’s total foreign trade has increased year after year, and in 2020 it will exceed 21%.
Zimbabwe’s “Sunday Post” website reported that while helping Africa fight the epidemic, China has also promoted China-Africa cooperation to help Africa get back on track. At the China-Africa Unity Anti-epidemic Special Summit held in June last year, China proposed that in order to overcome the impact of the epidemic, China and Africa should strengthen cooperation in jointly building the “Belt and Road”, accelerate the implementation of the results of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and The cooperation focuses on the areas of health and hygiene, resumption of work and production, and improvement of people’s livelihood.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce of China, from January to September this year, various indicators of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation showed an overall upward trend: China-Africa trade volume was US$185.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 38.2%, the highest in the same period in history; China’s direct investment in the entire industry in Africa US$2.59 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.9%, and the growth rate was 3 percentage points higher than China’s overall foreign investment, which has exceeded the level of the same period in 2019 before the epidemic; the value of new contracted projects signed by Chinese companies in Africa was US$53.5 billion, and the completed turnover was 26.9 billion. The US dollar increased by 22.2% and 11.6% respectively year-on-year, showing the confidence of Chinese companies in the prospects of the African market.
An article on the website of American diplomats pointed out that facing the increasingly complex international economic system, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is an important mechanism for enhancing the capacity and resilience of African industries. Strong industrial cooperation under the “Belt and Road” initiative and more cooperation in rebuilding Africa’s infrastructure and development will provide new impetus for common development.
“The 4-point proposition and the’Nine Projects’ will earnestly pay attention to the well-being of African people and the development of African countries, and will more closely link Africa and China.” said Moloy, deputy editor of the “Botswana Guardian”. An article on the South African independent online news website pointed out that this China-Africa Cooperation Forum will enable cooperation, meaningful dialogue and accelerated investment in Africa.
“In its cooperation with Africa, China adheres to the balance of justice and interests and puts righteousness first, demonstrating the responsibility of a responsible big country. The African and Chinese people are more closely united and trust each other, and will join hands in striding forward on the road of high-quality development. “The chairman of the Morocco-Africa-China Cooperation and Development Association Nasser Bushiba said that he believes that Africa-China cooperation will usher in new prosperity. (Reporter Zhang Hong)
“People’s Daily Overseas Edition” (10th edition on December 06, 2021)
Editor in charge: Ye Zhuang
32288379,. Benefit the people’s livelihood and promote development: China-Africa cooperation is getting more and more solid,.2021-12-06 04:25:57,.204497,.Ye Zhuang
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