Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered a speech on Saturday
morning at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of the Forum
on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
The following is the full text of Hu Jintao's speech:
Your Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi,
Distinguished colleagues and guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Our meeting today will go down in history. We, leaders of China
and African countries, in a common pursuit of friendship, peace,
cooperation and development, are gathered in Beijing today to renew
friendship, discuss ways of growing China-Africa relations and
promote unity and cooperation among developing countries. On behalf
of the Chinese Government and people and in my own name, I wish to
extend a very warm welcome to you and deep appreciation to you for
attending the Summit. I also want to extend, through the African
leaders present today, the cordial greetings and best wishes of the
Chinese people to the brotherly African people.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was jointly set up by
China and Africa in October 2000, a major initiative taken to
promote traditional China-Africa friendship and cooperation. In the
six years since then, two ministerial conferences have been held,
first in Beijing and then in Addis Ababa. Today, the Forum serves
as an important platform and effective mechanism for conducting
collective dialogue, exchanging experience in governance and
enhancing mutual trust and cooperation in practical terms between
China and African countries.
Dear colleagues and friends,
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of
diplomatic ties between New China and African countries. Though
vast oceans keep China and Africa far apart, the friendship between
our peoples has a long history and, having been tested by times, is
strong and vigorous. In the long course of history, the Chinese and
African peoples, with an unyielding and tenacious spirit, created
splendid and distinctive ancient civilisations. In the modern era,
our peoples launched unremitting and heroic struggle against
subjugation, and have written a glorious chapter in the course of
pursuing freedom and liberation, upholding human dignity, and
striving for economic development and national rejuvenation. The
progress and development of China and Africa are a major
contribution to the advancement of human civilisation.
During the past five decades, the Chinese and African peoples
have forged close unity, and our friendship has flourished.
China-Africa exchanges and cooperation have grown in all fields and
yielded fruitful results. In international affairs, China and
Africa enjoy trust and cooperate closely to uphold the legitimate
rights and interests of the developing world.
In all these years, China has firmly supported Africa in winning
liberation and pursuing development. China has trained technical
personnel and other professionals in various fields for Africa. It
has built the Tanzara Railway and other infrastructural projects
and sent medical teams and peacekeepers to Africa. All this
testifies to the friendship cherished by the Chinese people towards
the African people. We in China will not forget Africa's full
support for restoring the lawful rights of the People's Republic of
China in the United Nations. Nor will we forget the sincere and
ardent wish of African countries and people for China to realise
complete and peaceful reunification and achieve the goal of
building a modern nation.
Today, China-Africa friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of
our two peoples, and our friendship has endured the test of time
and changes in the world. This is because we have never strayed
from the principle of enhancing friendship, treating each other as
equals, extending mutual support and promoting common development
in building our ties.
— Friendship provides a solid foundation for reinforcing China-
Africa friendly ties. We both value our traditional friendship and
are committed to enhancing it.
— Treating each other as equals is crucial for ensuring mutual
trust. We both respect the development path independently embarked
upon by the other side. We both are serious in addressing each
other's concerns and are eager to benefit from each other's
practice in development.
— Mutual support is the driving force behind the ever growing
China-Africa cooperation. We both wish to see progress in the
development endeavour of the other side and sincerely support such
endeavour. And we are engaged in comprehensive cooperation.
— Common development is the shared aspiration of the Chinese and
African peoples. We are committed to pursuing mutually beneficial
cooperation to bring the benefits of development to our
peoples.
Dear colleagues and friends,
The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes. But
peace, development and cooperation remain the calling of the times.
There is a growing trend towards multipolarity and economic
globalization. Science and technology are making daily advance,
regional cooperation is deepening and there is increasing
interdependence among nations. All this has created rare
development opportunities for the international community. On the
other hand, imbalance in global development, widening gap between
North and South, the combination of traditional and non-traditional
security threats as well as increasing factors of instability and
uncertainty standing in the way of peace and development all pose a
daunting challenge to developing countries in their pursuit of
sustainable development.
China is the largest developing country, and Africa is home to
the largest number of developing countries. Our combined population
accounts for over a third of the world total. Without peace and
development in China and Africa, there will be no global peace and
development.
In this new era, China and Africa share increasing common
interests and have a growing mutual need. The forging of a new type
of China-Africa strategic partnership is determined by the dynamics
of China-Africa cooperation, and it represents our wish to promote
global peace and development. Building strong ties between China
and Africa will not only promote development of each side, but also
help cement unity and cooperation among developing countries and
contribute to establishing a just and equitable new international
political and economic order. To enhance this new type of strategic
partnership, China will strengthen cooperation with Africa in the
following fields:
First, deepen political relation of equality and mutual
trust. We will maintain high-level contacts and mutual
visits, establish a regular high-level political dialogue mechanism
and conduct strategic dialogue to enhance mutual political trust
and traditional friendship and achieve common progress through
unity.
Second, broaden win-win economic cooperation.
We will give full play to our respective strength, enhance economic
and trade ties, broaden areas of cooperation, support cooperation
between our business communities, upgrade cooperation in human
resources development and explore new ways of cooperation so that
both sides will share the benefits of development.
Third, expand exchange for cultural enrichment.
We will strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges to
increase mutual understanding and friendship between our two
peoples and particularly between the younger generation. We will
enhance exchanges and cooperation in education, science and
technology, culture, public health, sports and tourism to provide
intellectual motivation and cultural support for China-Africa
cooperation.
Fourth, promote balanced and harmonious global
development. We will enhance South-South cooperation and
promote North-South dialogue. We urge developed countries to honour
their promises on market access, aid and debt relief. We should
strive to meet the Millennium Development Goals and steer economic
globalisation in the direction of creating prosperity for all.
Fifth, strengthen cooperation and mutual support in
international affairs. We are committed to upholding the
purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respecting diversity of
the world and promoting democracy in international relations. We
call for enhancing international security cooperation based on
mutual trust and benefit and addressing each other's concerns
through consultation and coordination so that we can jointly
respond to threats and challenges to global security.
Dear colleagues and friends,
China values its friendship with Africa. To strengthen unity and
cooperation with Africa is a key principle guiding China's foreign
policy. China will continue to support Africa in implementing the
New Partnership for Africa's Development and in its effort to
strengthen itself through unity, achieve peace and stability and
economic revitalisation in the region and raise its international
standing.
To forge a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership and
strengthen our cooperation in more areas and at a higher level, the
Chinese Government will take the following eight steps:
1. Double its 2006 assistance to Africa by 2009.
2. Provide US$3 billion of preferential loans and US$2 billion
of preferential buyer's credits to Africa in the next three
years.
3. Set up a China-Africa development fund which will reach US$5
billion to encourage Chinese companies to invest in Africa and
provide support to them.
4. Build a conference centre for the African Union to support
African countries in their efforts to strengthen themselves through
unity and support the process of African integration.
5. Cancel debt in the form of all the interest-free government
loans that matured at the end of 2005 owed by the heavily indebted
poor countries and the least developed countries in Africa that
have diplomatic relations with China.
6. Further open up China's market to Africa by increasing from
190 to over 440 the number of export items to China receiving
zero-tariff treatment from the least developed countries in Africa
having diplomatic ties with China.
7. Establish three to five trade and economic cooperation zones
in Africa in the next three years.
8. Over the next three years, train 15,000 African
professionals; send 100 senior agricultural experts to Africa; set
up 10 special agricultural technology demonstration centres in
Africa; build 30 hospitals in Africa and provide RMB 300 million of
grant for providing artemisinin and building 30 malaria prevention
and treatment centres to fight malaria in Africa; dispatch 300
youth volunteers to Africa; build 100 rural schools in Africa; and
increase the number of Chinese government scholarships to African
students from the current 2000 per year to 4000 per year by
2009.
Dear colleagues and friends,
Both China and Africa are cradles of human civilisation and
lands of great promise. Common destiny and common goals have
brought us together. China will remain a close friend, reliable
partner and good brother of Africa.
Let's join hands and endeavour to promote development in both
China and Africa, improve the well-being of our peoples and build a
harmonious world of enduring peace and common prosperity!
Thank you.
(www.focacsummit.org November 4, 2006)