The ministers and heads of delegations participating in the work of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) have adopted the “Sharm El Sheikh Declaration” and the three-year “Action Plan for Sharm El-Sheikh” (2010-2012) which define new measures pushing forward the China-Africa cooperation.
The documents were adopted at the end of the two-day event held in Sharm El-Sheikh, 500km from Cairo.
The “Declaration of Sharm el-Sheikh” highlights China’s work to increase the volume of aid to Africa, the reduction of debt owed by African countries, maximizing the investment in the African continent, opening more markets and the promotion of scientific cooperation with Africa.
The 49 African countries and China agreed to support the work and coordination to strengthen the role and mechanisms of the Forum to meet the needs of both sides.
The China-Africa Cooperation members states also focus on making the most of consultation mechanisms at various levels to strengthen strategic dialogue between Africa and China, and deepen their scope of cooperation and coordination in multilateral forums to serve the interests of both sides, and the interests of developing countries as a whole.
The document emphasizes the need to maintain unity and mutual support to address the challenges arising from the economic crisis and global finance.
With regard to the second document, “Action Plan for Sharm El-Sheikh” (2010-2012), Africa and China agreed to give full play to the existing mechanisms of dialogue and communication to deepen a new form of strategic partnership, through the activation of strategic dialogues, consultations, political relations between the foreign ministries, joint commissions for economic cooperation and trade.
The two sides also agreed to hold the second political dialogue between Foreign ministers of the two sides in 2010 on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and hold consular consultations to deal with consular issues of citizens of the two sides.
They stressed their appreciation of the important contributions of the African Union and regional organizations in Africa to solve hot issues in the continent, promote the African integration process and regional economic integration, peace and development in Africa, and encourage the support to the African role in regional and international affairs.
China has welcomed the establishment of the African Union representative office in Beijing in a timely manner. It stressed its intention to promote partnership with African organizations in the field of institutional capacity building and implementation of projects which include more than one country in the region.
The African side welcomed China’s efforts to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast, pursuant to the spirit of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Source African Press Agency
