The mechanism of political consultations between Chinese and
African foreign ministers was launched in UN on Wednesday.
The inauguration was chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the foreign
minister of Egypt, which will host the upcoming Fourth Ministerial
Conference of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2009.
In less than a year since the Beijing Summit of the Forum on
China-Africa Cooperation, Yang said, follow-up actions have been
taken in all fields, and new progress has been made in China-Africa
cooperation.
Foreign ministers and representatives from 48 African countries
attended Wednesday's event, which was held on the sidelines of the
62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly.
China and Africa are bound by even closer political ties, amid
deepened practical cooperation, and stronger mutual support, Yang
said.
"China actively supports Africa in taking initiatives to
maintain peace and security in the region," Yang said. "It has made
unremitting efforts for a comprehensive and proper solution to the
Darfur issue. We have continued to take an active part in UN
peacekeeping operations in Africa and provided financial support
for peacekeeping missions of the African Union." he said.
He thanked the African countries for consistently adhering to
the one-China principle and supporting China's reunification.
"China and Africa are good friends, close partners and dear
brothers," Yang said. "To safeguard and grow China-Africa relations
is our shared historical mission."
He said China stands ready to continue to work with Africa to
deepen traditional friendship and strengthen political mutual
trust, to expand practical cooperation and share the fruits of
development, to increase people-to-people and cultural exchanges
and build strong popular support for enhancing China-Africa
friendship, to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and maintain
close consultations, and to enhance institutional building and
develop innovative ways of cooperation.
Gheit, for his part, described the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation a unique form of South-South cooperation, where China
and its African partners enjoy equal rights and responsibilities,
champion fairness, justice and peace, and are committed to
democratizing international relations and safeguarding people's
rights to existence and development.
Cooperation between China and African countries not only
benefits the people of China and Africa, Gheit said, it also
facilitates global efforts to eradicate poverty and diseases and
promote development.
Henri Eyebe Ayissi, foreign minister of Cameroon, Zachary D.
Muburi-Muita, Kenya's permanent representative to the UN, Aichatou
Mindaoudou, foreign minister of Niger, Abdul-Rahman Mohammed
Shalgam, foreign minister of Libya, and Felix Mutati, acting
foreign minister of Zambia, spoke on behalf of five African
sub-regions. They highly evaluate China's efforts in implementing
its commitments made at the Beijing Summit and its constructive
role in helping address hot button issues in Africa.
China and Africa both have their advantages and enjoy great
potentials for cooperation, they said, adding that the new type of
cooperation between the two sides based on equality, mutual benefit
and mutual respect is conducive to developing countries' effort to
meet the challenges posed by globalization.
They reiterated their adherence to the one-China policy and
their support for China's reunification.
A joint communique was issued at the end of the consultations,
saying the two sides would further promote the new type of
strategic partnership and strengthen cooperation in such fields as
infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, information
technology, and tourism.
Wednesday's consultations marked the formal launch of the
regular political dialogue mechanism of foreign ministers as agreed
at the Beijing summit.
(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2007)
