17 February 2011
I. Foreign Minister Yang, what fresh impressions have you got from your visit to Africa on the development of China-Africa relations? What new outcomes has this visit produced?
Minister Yang: This is my fourth official visit to Africa as China's Foreign Minister, which brought me to Zimbabwe, Gabon, Guinea, Togo and Chad. During the visit, I held meetings and talks with the leaders and foreign ministers of the five countries. We had in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of shared interest and reached broad common understanding, and our political mutual trust was enhanced. A host of cooperation documents were signed, giving a boost to the practical cooperation in economic, trade and other fields and the further implementation of the follow-up actions of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in relevant countries.
All the five countries spoke highly of China's material and moral support to Africa during the national liberation movements in Africa, and thanked China for its selfless help to African countries' in their economic and social development. They expressed appreciation for China's position of resolving international disputes peacefully and that it was up to the African people themselves to resolve issues in Africa, and hoped that China would play an even bigger role in international affairs. They stated that China's development meant important opportunities for African countries, expressed their hope to enhance traditional friendship with China, deepen political mutual trust, and expand cooperation in infrastructure, telecommunications, agriculture, water conservancy, environmental protection, medical care and other fields, and welcomed Chinese businesses to seek investment and business opportunities in their respective countries. They also expressed their wish to deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges and enhance coordination and collaboration with China in the United Nations, the G20, climate change and other international and regional affairs.
My impression is that the overall peace and stability in Africa remains unchanged despite quite a number of problems and challenges facing the continent. African countries have a stronger desire for development and are even more enthusiastic to cooperate with China. China-Africa cooperation is faced with new development opportunities in the new historic era when countries are committed to growing their economy and improving their people's lives.
II. What new expectations do you have for the future of China-Africa relations?
Minister Yang: This year marks the beginning of the second decade in the new century. I have the following observations on the future development of China-Africa relations:
First, traditional friendship is the solid basis and strong advantage of China-Africa relations. It is our responsibility to carry forward the traditional friendship and maintain the sound relationship between the two sides. China will continue to follow the principle of sincerity, friendship and equality and work with African countries to deepen the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership.
Second, to expand cooperation in an all-round way serves the interests of both China and Africa and conforms to the trend of the times. As developing countries, China and African countries face the common task of accelerating our own development. The two sides should bring into full play our respective advantages and enhance practical cooperation in various fields in order to achieve win-win and common development. At the same time, China and Africa should maintain close communication and coordination on challenges brought about by economic globalization and the international financial crisis as well as a host of major international issues such as climate change, food security and environmental protection with a view to jointly safeguarding the interests of developing countries.
Third, China-Africa cooperation should bring real benefit to the people of both sides, and our people should be able to gain from our friendship and participate in our cooperation. Only by doing so can our friendly relations and cooperation have lasting vitality and inexhaustible driving force for development. We need to intensify cultural and people-to-people exchanges to enhance the popular support for the friendship and cooperation between the two sides, bring the 1.3 billion Chinese people and one billion African people closer, and pool their wisdom and strength for the steady growth of China-Africa relations.
I am confident that with our joint efforts, China-Africa relations will embrace an even brighter future.
III. In the first decade of the new century, China put forward eight measures to enhance practical cooperation with Africa at the FOCAC Beijing Summit in 2006 and another eight new measures at the Fourth FOCAC Ministerial Conference. Would you elaborate on the implementation of these measures?
Minister Yang: The eight measures announced at the Beijing Summit have been materialized on time. The implementation of the eight new measures announced at the Fourth FOCAC Ministerial Conference is proceeding steadily.
To date, smooth progress has been made in the "China-Africa science and technology partnership program" and the "China-Africa joint research and exchange program". The implementation of debt cancellation, zero-tariff treatment, concessional loans, the special loan for small and medium-sized African businesses and other measures are well underway. Steady progress has been made in sending agricultural technology teams to Africa, building agricultural technology demonstration centers and China-Africa friendship schools, and providing medical equipments and anti-malaria materials. China has been actively implementing the initiative of China-Africa partnership in addressing climate change and has maintained regular communication with major African countries and the African Union on climate change. Moreover, major activities and projects such as the China-Africa Agriculture Cooperation Forum, the FOCAC Legal Forum, the "African Culture in Focus", and the China-Africa Universities Cooperation Plan have been held or launched and follow-up activities in other areas are making steady progress, promoting all-round development of cooperation between the two sides.
Over the past ten years since the establishment of FOCAC, China and Africa have had close cooperation within the FOCAC framework and made important contribution to greater economic and social development in Africa and stronger China-Africa traditional friendship and practical cooperation. China will continue to follow the principle of mutual benefit and progress, friendly consultation, pragmatism and high efficiency, take into full account of the views and suggestions from the African side and implement the outcomes of the conference so as to deepen the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership.