Chinese President Xi Jinping and African leaders reached broad consensus Thursday on strengthening pragmatic cooperation, enhancing mutual political trust, promoting people-to-people exchanges, and consolidating unity in addressing regional and global affairs.
After his arrival in Johannesburg, the largest city of South Africa and an economic center in the region, for a historic summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Xi held separate meetings with nine leaders of African countries.
Before leaving for Johannesburg Thursday morning, Xi also met with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, in South Africa's executive capital Pretoria, where he conducted a series of activities during a state visit to the "rainbow nation". Following are some highlights in the successive meetings
CHINA-AU RELATIONS
During a meeting with Dlamini-Zuma, Xi said China attaches great importance to its relations with the AU and supports the organization's significant role in Africa's development, integration as well as in regional and global affairs.
He called on China and the AU to enhance mutual political trust, perfect mechanism of dialogue, and forge a strategic partnership. China has always adhered to the principle of "African issues should be addressed by the African people in the African way," Xi said, stressing that the country will never interfere in internal affairs of the African countries.
On economic ties between China and Africa, the president said the two sides should synergize their development strategies through pushing forward production capacity cooperation. China is ready to provide assistance to Africa in addressing its bottleneck problems of backwardness of infrastructure and shortage of talents, he noted.
PRAGMATIC COOPERATION
When meeting Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe, Xi said the Chinese government would encourage and support its enterprises to invest and develop businesses in Togo in such areas as appliances, construction materials, textile, food processing and automobile assembly and participate in Togo's infrastructure construction so as to help build up its own industry.
The Chinese president also called on his country and Ghana to deepen strategic mutual trust and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation. China would encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Ghana and participate in its infrastructure construction, including power, telecommunication, ports and roads, he said during a meeting with his Ghanaian counterpart, John Dramani Mahama.
On China-Kenya relations, Xi told Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta that their two countries' comprehensive cooperative partnership of equality, mutual trust, mutual benefit and win-win outcome is brimming with robust vitality. To further lift the bilateral relations, he urged the two countries to consolidate mutual political trust and maintain high-level exchanges, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and well implement major cooperation projects including railways and special economic zones.
The Chinese president also expressed his willingness to promote win-win cooperation and common development with African countries during separate meetings with his counterparts of Angola, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Mali and Mozambique. Moreover, Xi said China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Africa in global and regional affairs, so as to defend the rights and common interests of developing countries.
JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF MARITIME SILK ROAD
At a meeting with Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Xi said China welcomes Djibouti's participation in developing the Beijing-proposed 21st-century Maritime Silk Road in proper ways. He extended appreciation to the country in the Horn of Africa for its assistance to Chinese fleets conducting escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and Somalia waters, as well as its support for the Chinese side when China evacuated its citizens from Yemen earlier this year. China is ready to promote pragmatic cooperation with Djibouti in various areas and jointly set a good example for developing countries seeking win-win cooperation and common progress, Xi noted.
PEACEKEEPING MISSION
When meeting with his Malian counterpart, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Xi said China would actively participate in the UN peacekeeping operation in Mali. The two countries have achieved fruitful results in all areas of practical cooperation, he said, adding that the Chinese side stands ready to translate the traditional friendship into driving forces for further cooperation.
Referring to the hotel attack in Mali's capital earlier this month, Xi strongly condemned the brutality that caused serious casualties including three Chinese citizens. China will work together with Mali and the international community to safeguard world peace, he stressed.
IMPROVEMENT OF EBOLA-HIT COUNTRIES' HEALTHCARE CAPACITY
Thursday's meetings also touched upon disease control and prevention in African nations, including Guinea, one of the worst-hit countries in the worst Ebola outbreak in history, which has taken more than 11,000 lives across West Africa.
China is willing to help the West African country once beset with an Ebola outbreak strengthen public health systems, Xi said during a meeting with Guinean President Alpha Conde. Beijing is pleased to see that Guinea has beaten the Ebola virus, Xi said, recalling that when the crisis broke out last year, his country, out of its brotherly bond with Guinea, took the lead in providing assistance.
China, he added, will continue to send medical teams to Guinea and support Conakry developing public health and epidemic prevention networks and promoting its capacity-building in this vital public-welfare area. In the battle against the grave threat, China provided Guinea and other affected African countries with enormous assistance, which has once again testified to the close friendship between China and Africa and demonstrated the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith in China's Africa policy.
In September, a Chinese medical team that helped fight the Ebola epidemic in Guinea was honored with the South-South Awards, which recognizes governments, organizations and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to global sustainable development.
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