The African Development Bank Group's (AfDB) gathering in
Shanghai this week will help consolidate China's relationship with
Africa, a senior official with China's central bank said.
"There will be a series of forums and exhibitions along with the
annual meetings which will help strengthen the Sino-Africa economic
and trade cooperation and promote the development of a strategic
partnership between China and African countries," said Ma Delun,
assistant governor of the People's Bank of China. He is also
secretary-general of the meeting's Chinese organizing
committee.
This is the first time that the annual board meeting of the AfDB
will be held in Asia and the second time outside Africa. In 2001,
the meetings took place in Spain.
The AfDB officials believe the Shanghai gathering is a
significant Africa-related event. It follows the Beijing Summit of
the China-Africa Cooperation Forum held in November 2006.
"China's hosting of the AfDB annual meetings shows that China's
policies toward Africa have been widely appreciated by African
countries and China's experience in opening up and reform received
much recognition from the AfDB," Ma said.
Premier Wen Jiabao will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony
of the meetings, themed "Africa and Asia: Partners in
Development".
President of the Republic of Cape Verde, Pedro Verona Rodrigues
Pires, President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame and
President of the Republic of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, will be
present at the meetings.
The AfDB also invited Joachim Chissano, former president of the
Republic of Mozambique and Paul Martin, Canada's former prime
minister, to the meetings.
Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, will
chair the meetings. About 2,000 people are expected to attend,
including finance ministers or governors of the central banks of
the AfDB's member countries, representatives from the World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund and other regional development
finance organizations and non-governmental organizations.
By May 9, more than 1,910 delegates registered for the meetings,
Ma said.
Established in 1964, the AfDB is the top development finance
institution in Africa. It has 77 members, 53 from Africa and 24
outside the continent.
The bank's priorities include the reduction of poverty,
improving the living conditions of African populations and resource
mobilization for the economic and social progress of its regional
member countries.
China joined the AfDB and the African Development Fund in 1985.
Currently, China has 24,230 shares, or a 1.117 percent stake in the
AfDB, Ma said.
Since joining, China has donated US$314 million to the African
Development Fund, supporting infrastructure construction, poverty
alleviation and education projects in the continent.
To further the cooperation between China and the AfDB, the two
sides signed a US$2 million technical cooperation agreement in
1996. The agreement subsidizes Chinese experts who conduct projects
and introduce advanced technology into Africa. So far, the Chinese
government has paid US$900,000 to support 14 projects in eight
African countries.
(China Daily May 14, 2007)
