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)