Guinea-Bissau Prime Minister Carlos Gomes said on Tuesday that
the upcoming Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation (FOCAC) will inject renewed vitality into the
cooperation between Africa and China.
In an interview with Xinhua, Gomes said China has scored amazing
achievements since it carried out the policy of reform and
opening-up by the end of the 1970s, adding that Africa should learn
from China's experience and mode of development to avoid being
marginalized amid globalization.
Gomes made the remarks prior to FOCAC's Beijing summit scheduled
for Nov. 3-5, which will be the highest-level and the largest
meeting between Chinese and African leaders, since China and
African countries started to forge cooperative ties in the
1950s.
Some 30 African heads of state or government and their Chinese
counterparts will attend the conference, with aims to blueprint the
future of China-Africa cooperation after 50 years of traditional
friendship.
The summit is a good opportunity for Africa to have a deep
understanding of the Chinese government's administrative strategy
and Africa policy, as well as an opportunity for African leaders to
discuss the continent's developmental strategy, Gomes said.
He added that the cooperation between China and Africa has been
an active factor in their bilateral relations.
"Gradually, China will become an investor that has the greatest
potential on the African continent," said the prime minister. "It
will help Africa realize the Millennium Development Goals."
On relations between the two countries, Gomes said China has
become a strategic cooperative partner of Guinea-Bissau, adding
that he is looking forward to the prospects of their cooperation,
which will become more active, efficient, and fruitful.
The bilateral relations have been developing rapidly and their
cooperation has yielded encouraging results since Guinea-Bissau and
China resumed diplomatic ties in 1998, he said.
Gomes said China has provided unselfish assistance to Guinea-Bissau
without any political precondition, so his country does not worry
about the cooperation between the two sides.
Under the new situation, he said, Guinea-Bissau and China should
discuss ways of cooperation in various fields which benefit the two
countries, thus bringing their friendly relations to a new
stage.
(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2006)