Chinese Foreign Minister
Tang Jiaxuan said Friday in Addis Ababa that China attaches
great importance to Africa and it will continue to enhance its
friendly relations and cooperation with the continent.
In
order to further the China-Africa relations, China would continue
to support the establishment of the African Union (AU) and the
implementation of the New Partnership for African Development
(NEPAD) on the continent, said Tang in his speech delivered at
Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development.
"Establishing the AU and independently formulating and implementing
the NEPAD represent the new attempts made by African countries to
collectively take on their challenges," he said.
"This remarkable act gives full expression to the strong resolve of
the African people in going along with the world's trends to seek
peace and development," the minister added.
The Chinese government will build on its good cooperation with the
Organization of African Unity, deepen cooperation with the AU in
future, and support the AU to play bigger role in realizing peace
and stability and promoting integration on the African continent,
Tang noted.
He
called on the international community to take concrete measures to
jointly support the smooth implementation of the NEPAD.
Talking about the Sino-Africa Cooperation Forum to be held this
year in Addis Ababa, Tang said the Chinese government will maintain
close contact and consultation with Ethiopia and other African
nations, and jointly help secure a complete success for the next
meetings of the forum.
As
the host country, Ethiopia has reportedly established a special
preparatory committee and actively begun preparations for the
forum.
Concerning the issue of expanding China-Africa economic cooperation
and trade, the foreign minister said the Chinese side will explore
new approaches to cooperate with African countries, focusing on the
areas of agriculture, infrastructure building and human resources
development.
The Chinese government has drawn out the "Go Global" strategy in a
timely manner to support Chinese enterprises to go abroad for
mutually beneficial cooperation, said Tang, adding that the Chinese
government will continue to provide assistance within its capacity
to African countries.
He
also said that China would continue to support African countries to
participate in international affairs on an equal footing, saying
China will continue to enhance its consultation and cooperation
with African countries in international affairs and coordinate the
positions on such issues as peace, development, anti-terrorism,
global security and the establishment of a new international
order.
"We support a bigger role played by African nations in
international affairs including increasing their say and
representation in the U.N. Security Council," said Tang.
He
said China supports the legitimate propositions and reasonable
demands of African countries in the new round of multilateral trade
talks, urging the international community, particularly the
developed countries, to take more steps to accommodate the
interests of African countries, increase input in Africa's
development and honor their commitments to the settlement of the
debt problem.
Before giving his speech, the Chinese foreign minister held talks
with his counterpart Seyoum Mesfin on the issues of bilateral
relations and further cooperation between the two countries in the
future.
(
January 13, 2002)