China has always pursued the pro-Africa, pro-third world as well
as anti-imperial and anti-hegemonic politics, said Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe in Addis Ababa Monday.?
During his speech in the opening ceremony of the Second
Ministerial Conference of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum,
President Mugabe said that China is the fastest growing country in
the global economy.
"China's politics have always been pro-Africa, pro-developing
countries, anti-imperial and anti-hegemonic," he said.
He added that the significance of this forum inheres in China's
pivotal role in global affairs together with Africa's acknowledged
strategic importance in the international scheme of things.
He introduced the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD) as Africa's own blueprint, which stresses that Africa
recovers and grows mainly through its own efforts, and secondarily
through partnerships with such well-meaning enterprises as they
have in China.
"While there is a lot that the African can do and achieve by
himself or by herself, there is a lot more that Africa can achieve
through collaboration with other progressive countries around the
globe," he said.
Although the development of intra-African trade should remain
their goal, he contended, broader partnership with friendly
developing countries such as China should be the focus and emphasis
of their efforts.
He felt regret that it is taking too long for most African
business people to realize that the biggest and fastest growing
world market is in the east in stead of in the west, with the
largest being China.
"This trend can only be revered through mutually beneficial
partnership which the rich west has thus far denied us," he
said.
Highlighted by the action-oriented spirit, the meeting, which
gathered China and 44 African countries, is the first ministerial
conference of the forum held on the African continent, and will be
a significant event in the Sino-African relationship.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, his host counterpart Meles Zenawi
and a dozen of other African heads of state and government attended
the opening ceremony, and also present are Chinese and African
foreign ministers and ministers in charge of the international
economic cooperation, and representatives of some international and
regional organizations as well.
The main agenda of this conference is to review the
implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the Program for
China-Africa Cooperation in Economic and Social Development, two
documents adopted during the first ministerial meeting of the forum
held in Beijing in 2000.
It is also highlighted in the agenda to explore new initiatives
and measures on the way toward Sino-African cooperation in such
areas of priority as human resources development, agriculture,
infrastructure development, investment and trade.
During the two-day conference, the participants will discuss and
adopt the Addis Ababa Action of the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation (2004-2006).
Under the theme of "Friendship, Cooperation and Development" and
in an action-oriented spirit, the participants will hold extensive
and in-depth discussion and exchanges on how to further promote the
establishment of a new, stable and long-term China-Africa
partnership of equality and mutual benefit and all-around
cooperation.
The First Ministerial Conference of the forum was held in
Beijing, capital of China, from Oct. 10 to 12, 2000.
(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2003)
