China should have equal opportunities to take part in the development of Africa because China's involvement will help reduce poverty, promote investment and widen the participation base, a senior United Nations official said in Beijing on Tuesday.

 

Khalid Malik, the UN resident coordinator in China, said in an interview with the local press that all countries should be able to take part in the development of Africa, the continent which has the sad distinction of having the largest number of the world's poorest countries.

 

Malik, also resident representative of the UN Development Program (UNDP) in China, said Africa is still a continent that is new to Chinese companies.

 

He said that, because of the West's long colonial past, Western companies have established a network of links and market privileges in Africa. He disagreed with criticisms of China's increasing role in the development of Africa.

 

"I would say No to statements depicting China as pursuing so-called neo-colonial activities in Africa," he said.

 

He noted that, historically, China has never been a colonizer. Though it is true that China now needs more resources to sustain its rapid growth, China's economic success can be turned into a win-win opportunity for Africa, he said.

 

Cooperation between China and Africa is based on friendship and is sustainable in the long-term, he said, noting that there are many similarities between Chinese and African cultures. "Both emphasize that friendship is more important than business," he said.

 

As a veteran development expert, Malik has worked in Africa for decades and often visited there. He has spent the past two and half years mainly in China.

 

The rapid improvement of political relations between China and Africa in the past two years will naturally lead to trade and economic cooperation. The all-round deepening of China-Africa relations is a result of political will and economic interests coming together, he said.

 

According to official figures, trade volume between China and Africa grew from US$1 billion in 2000 to more than US$34 billion in 2005.

 

Malik said though the trade volume has grown rapidly in recent years, relatively it is still small, accounting for less than three percent of China's total trade volume in 2004.

 

He said there is still a gap between Chinese companies in Africa and their Western counterparts in terms of size and competitiveness. The UN encourages Chinese companies, especially private companies, to invest in Africa. Noting that the private sector plays a key role in reducing poverty in any country in the world, Malik said China has set an example in orienting the private sector for social purposes.

 

Private companies in China launched a poverty alleviation program with government support in 1994. Now the Guangcai Program, also known as the Glory Program, has become a major contributor to the UNDP global poverty reduction endeavor. China has set an example for other developing countries by reducing poverty effectively through rapid development of the private sector, Malik said.

 

Results of the country's latest economic census show that the private sector makes up about one-third of total capital in China. Malik said the UNDP will help Chinese companies invest in African countries by mobilizing its network of resident representative offices in all capital cities on the continent.

 

He said the UNDP will help Chinese companies enter the African market in an effective, sustainable way. The UNDP is now actively involved in preparing the establishment of the China-Africa Business Council (CABC), a non-government organization devoted to promoting exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and African corporate sectors.

 

Through the partnership with the CABC, the UNDP will provide substantial service for Chinese companies going to Africa, including objective information on the investment environment, contact with decision making authorities and identification of solid, reliable partners.

 

Malik suggested that the CABC set up representative offices in six African countries -- Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya. He said the Chinese private sector has played an important role in poverty alleviation in China over the past decade.

 

The establishment of the CABC will provide a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Africa. Malik expressed the belief that the involvement of Chinese companies in African development is bound to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium poverty alleviation goals.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2005)