Senior officials from China and 48 African countries concluded a
two-day meeting in Beijing Thursday, having made final preparations
for the upcoming high-profile Beijing Summit scheduled for November
4-5.
The Senior Officials Meeting has been the fifth in the framework
of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), a mechanism for
collective dialogue and cooperation jointly established by China
and Africa to cope with new challenges and facilitate common
development.
China will announce a package of major assistance, investment,
trade and other key cooperation projects with Africa at the summit,
said Vice Commerce Minister Wei Jianguo at the Senior Officials
Meeting.
Considering the wishes of African friends, the Chinese
government has decided to offer more cooperation projects to Africa
to deepen mutual benefit and cooperation and realize common
development, Wei said.
During the Senior Officials Meeting, delegates from China and
African countries reviewed the preparation work for the Beijing
Summit and the FOCAC Ministerial Conference, and further exchanged
views on the documents to be passed at the summit.
Meanwhile, 15 African leaders arrived in Beijing Thursday,
including presidents of Zambia, Ghana and Kenya, and nine others
had arrived earlier for the Beijing Summit.
During President Hu Jintao's talks with James Alix Michel,
president of the Republic of Seychelles on Thursday, Hu said "the
China-Seychelles relation has become a model for equal treatment
and mutual assistance between big and small countries," and China
will continue to boost the international community to pay more
attention to the development issue of Seychelles and other
small-island developing countries.
In a meeting with Sudanese President Omer Hassan Ahmed
El-Bashir, Hu said China hopes the Sudanese government can
strengthen dialogue with each concerned party on the Darfur
conflict and try to maintain stability in the region.
"We hope the Sudanese government can find an appropriate
settlement, maintain stability, and constantly improves the
humanitarian conditions in the region," Hu said, noting China will
continue to make contributions to an early realization of peace and
stability in Darfur.
"We are willing to deepen mutual understanding and trust, widen
bilateral cooperation in economy, trade, culture, education and
health, and strengthen coordination and cooperation between China
and Botswana in international affairs to maintain the common
interests of developing countries," Hu told Botswana President
Festus Mogaein in a meeting the same day.
Beijing has been dressed up in the run-up to the historic
summit, with traditional Chinese red lanterns and billboards
featuring typical images of Africa and posters proclaiming
Sino-African "friendship, cooperation, development and peace" in
English and French on major streets in downtown Beijing.
On the sideline the of the Beijing Summit, the Chinese
government is also cranking up a campaign to promote African
culture among citizens, with two exhibitions opening here Thursday,
one of coins and stamps from 48 African countries and the other of
African handicraft, to showcase African landscapes, places of
historical interest and relations with China.
"It's a good opportunity for ordinary Chinese to have a glimpse
of Africa," said Cheng Hui, an avid collector who provided some of
the handicraft pieces on show. "Many Africans are born to be
artists. Even items from 2,000 years ago still make vogue artwork
today."
Johnson Weru from Kenya said the exhibition made him feel at
home and would help enhance friendship and understanding between
the Africans and the Chinese.
So far over 1,200 Chinese and overseas journalists have been
registered for the covering of the summit, including 118 African
reporters that have arrived in Beijing. About 300 African reporters
are also gearing up for the Third Ministerial Conference on Friday,
and the summit over the weekend.
Seeing comfortable environment, convenient communication
equipment, broadband, IDD telephone, bulletin boards, many African
reporters coming to China for the summit said they feel like
working at home.
(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2006)
