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| Mr. Wei Jianguo is in charge of the Department of Western Asian and African Affairs, Department of Electromechanical Products & Science and Technology Industry, Department of Aid to Foreign Countries, the Executive Bureau of International Economic Cooperation and China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Machinery & Electronic Products. |
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| Vice Minister Wei Jianguo Briefing on China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation |
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| 2006-11-13 18:12 MOFCOM |
On Oct. 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce jointly held a press conference on Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the 3rd Ministerial Conference, which was chaired by Mr. Liu Jianchao, Spokesman of the Foreign Ministry. Mr. Wei Jianguo, Vice Minister of Commerce, and Mr. Qu Juan, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, answered the questions of the press after giving them some relevant information.
Vice Minister Wei Jianguo’s presentation on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation at the press conference is as the follows:
Dear friends from the media:
Good Afternoon!
Please allow me to brief you on the situation of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and some of the business activities that will be organized during the Beijing Summit.
China and Africa are cooperation partners seeking for mutual benefit and win-win results on the basis of taking full use of each other’s strengths. The Chinese government advocates developing the economic and trade relationship with African countries in line with the principle of equality and mutual benefit, and striving for practical results and common development by diversified means. Through the concerted efforts of both the Chinese and African governments as well as the business communities, the scale of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has been constantly enlarged, the area of cooperation broadened, and the level uplifted. A diversified pattern of cooperation is shaping up. When entering the 21st century, especially after the holding of 2000 Beijing Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries was ushered into a new stage of fast, all-round and steady growth.
First, China-Africa economic and trade cooperation
1, Bilateral trade between China and Africa is increasing with a high speed.
Currently, China has signed most-favored-nation(MFN) treatment agreements with 41 African countries. Since year 2000 when bilateral trade broke through the record of US$10 billion, China-Africa trade has been growing with a high speed for 5 consecutive years, reaching US$39.7 billion in 2005 with an annual growth rate of about 30%, 12 percentage points higher than the national foreign trade growth in the same period. It is fair to say that every year witnessed one higher step. In the first half of 2006, China-Africa trade reached US$25.6 billion and is expected to surpass US$50 billion at the end of the year.
With the rapid development of the Chinese economy, the quality and grade of Chinese exports are continuously improving. Compared with products from western countries, the Chinese products of the same quality are better priced, which are more suitable for the African consumers. They are making the African market more diversified, bringing tangible benefits to the African people, lowering their consumption expenditure, curbing the inflation, and therefore they are very popular among African consumers.
In recent years, China has also taken various effective measures to expand the imports from African countries. Up to now, China has granted zero tariff treatment to 190 tariff items originating from 28 LDCs in Africa. According to the Chinese Customs, in 2005, under this preferential arrangement, China imported a total of US$380 million of products from Africa, up by 88% on a year-on-year basis. In the first half of 2006, China’s such import from Africa was US$250 million, a year-on-year growth of 57%. It fully demonstrates this measure has played a positive role in promoting the export from Africa to China, and the sound development of China-Africa trade.
Second, China's investment in Africa is expanding steadily.
The Chinese government encourages various competitive companies with great credit standing and comparative advantages to invest in Africa. To this end the government has put in place favorable policies and legal frameworks. China has signed, up to now, investment protection agreements with 28 African countries, and agreements on avoidance of double taxation with 8 African countries.
The Chinese-invested projects in Africa are spreading over 49 African countries, covering various sectors such as trade, manufacturing and processing, resource development, transportation, agriculture and comprehensive development of agricultural produce. By the end of 2005, China altogether invested US$6.27 billion in Africa. The Chinese investment in Africa pushes forward the economic development of the host countries, increases local employment opportunities and brings suitable technologies to the African countries, hence enhances their independent construction capacity, and improves the living standard of the local people. The Chinese investment is therefore universally welcomed there.
3, Chinese aid to Africa is yielding remarkable fruits.
Although China itself is a developing country and also an aid recipient, China has been giving African countries sincere and selfless economic assistance attached with no political conditions. Since 1956, with grants from the Chinese government, China has helped 49 African countries build over 700 complete plant projects in such areas as agriculture, animal raising, fishery, light and textile industry, energy, transportation, communication, hydropower, education, culture, and food processing. Besides, the Chinese enterprises have undertaken 58 projects under concessional loan arrangement, 137 agricultural projects, and 133 infrastructure construction projects in 26 African countries. They have built over 2000 kilometers of railroad and over 3000 kilometers of highway in Africa.
All these assistance projects were designed and determined through friendly discussions in line with the real need of the African countries and people, which have played the role of “charcoal in snowy days”. They are beneficial to promoting the local economic and social development, and increasing the tax revenue and employment opportunities, which are thus warmly welcomed by the African governments and people.
While providing assistance to the African countries, every year China helps them improve their independent development capacity by training a big number of human talents in different fields. Up to now, China has offered government sponsored scholarships to 18,000 African students, and dispatched 16,000 medical experts(head counts) to African countries. China’s sincere assistance has won extensive appreciation and heartfelt thanks of vast African countries and African people.
4, Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
The first ministerial conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Beijing in 2000, which was an important meeting for both China and African countries to adapt to the changes in the international situation, respond to the challenges of economic globalization and boost the mutual development by means of dialogue and cooperation. It started a new epoch of China-Africa cooperation. In the past 6 years, the Forum has not only served as an effective mechanism of group dialogues between China and Africa, but also a key platform for bilateral pragmatic cooperation. Within the framework of the Forum, China-Africa economic and trade cooperation is flourishing with impressive achievements.
In order to help African countries in their economic and social development, the Chinese government put forward a series of major measures at the first and second Ministerial Conference aiming at enhancing the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Africa, which fully embodied the feature of the Forum, i.e. "Paying Attention to Actions and Tangible Results”. Under the framework of the Forum, China exempted RMB10.9 billion of the government mature debt obligations of 31 heavily indebted poor African countries and African LDCs, declared the zero-tariff arrangements for some of the imports from African LDCs with diplomatic relationship with China; trained over 10,000 human talents in various fields for African countries, designated 17 African countries as tourist destinations for Chinese citizens, and sent out young volunteers to Africa. All these measures have forcefully stimulated the economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa. Moreover, China is highly appraised by the African countries and the international community of strictly fulfilling its commitments.
On Nov. 3 to 5 2006, Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the 3rd Ministerial Conference will be held in Beijing. It will be the largest and highest-level group dialogue between the Chinese and African leaders in 50 years, which will have a great bearing and profound influence on the long-term development of China-Africa development. As the host the Forum, China will present a series of new measures conducive to the common economic and social development of China and Africa as well as the bilateral economic and trade cooperation, which will serve as a planning for the practical cooperation in the years to come.
Second, business activities during the Summit
On the sideline of the Beijing Summit (from Nov. 4 to 5), we will hold a High-Level Dialogue between the Chinese and African Leaders and the Business Circles, and the 2nd China-Africa Business Conference. It will be co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and CCPIT, which includes 3 parts-- opening ceremony of the High-Level Dialogue, Business Matchmaking, and Closing and Signing Ceremony. All kinds of preparations are now in smooth progress. About 1500 Chinese and African business people will take part in the Business Matchmaking, representing such sectors as agriculture, water conservancy, construction, energy, transportation, automobile, electronics, communication, textile machinery, medicine and finance.
In addition, in order for better knowledge of Chinese companies on African products which will be helpful in expanding China’s imports from Africa, MOFCOM will sponsor the African Products Show in Beijing International Conference Centre from November 6 to 7. Incentives will be granted to the African companies taking part in the Show. At this moment, over 100 companies from 20 African countries have registered for the Show, which will bring products ranging from building material, paper pulp and timber, to food, light industrial products and handicrafts. For detailed information about the conference, the media can consult the Trade Development Bureau of MOFCOM.
Looking into the future, we have full confidence in the prospect of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. We are willing to make concerted efforts together with the African countries by taking substantive steps within the framework of the Forum in order to further expand the comprehensive development of China-Africa friendly cooperation to wider areas and higher levels.
(Source: Network Center of MOFCOM)
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