WhatnewmeasureswillcomeoutoftheFOCACBeijingsummit?BeijingReviewaskedtheambassadorsoffiveAfricannationsinBeijingabouttheirviewsandexpectationsfortheevent.
DolanaMsimang,SouthAfricanAmbassadortoChina
SouthAfricahostedtheFOCACJohannesburgSummitinDecember2015,underthethemeAfrica-ChinaProgressingTogether:Win-WinCooperationforCommonDevelopment.ThesummitfurtherconsolidatedthepartnershipbetweenAfricaandChinathroughSouth-Southcooperation,withaspecialfocusonindustrializationandtheregionalintegrationofeconomiesinAfrica.ItwasthefirstFOCACsummitonAfricansoilthatledtomajorbreakthroughsaswesteppedupoureffortstobringmoremeaningtoAfricaChinasolidaritythroughconcretebusinessandcommercialventures.
AttheJohannesburgSummit,PresidentXimadeseveralpromisestoAfrica.Hepledged$60billiontoensurethatweremovealltheimpedimentsthatpreventAfricafromdevelopingatthepaceitissupposedtodevelopat.ChinahasnowmadeaverybigfootprintinAfrica,especiallywithregardtoinfrastructuredevelopment,agriculture,particularlyitsmodernization,andmanufacturing,andinalmosteverycornerofthecontinentChina鈥檚significanceisverypositivelyfelt.SomeAfricancountrieshaveseenroadsbeingbuilt,andothershaveseenairportsorparliamentbuildingsbeingconstructed.ThesearesignificantinputsbyChina.
SouthAfricawillcontinuetoactivelydriveAfrica鈥檚regionalintegrationefforts,includingdevelopingcontinentalnorth-southrailandroadlinks,expandingportsandenergycapacity,andimprovingskills.ThisdirectlyspeakstotheAfricanUnionAgenda2063,whichisatthecoreofSouthAfrica鈥檚foreignpolicy.
TheindustrializationeffortontheAfricancontinentisdependentonvariouscountries鈥檃bilitytoattractforeigndirectinvestment.ChinaisstrategicallypositionedtocooperatewithAfricatorealizeitsdreamsinthisregard.PartneringwithChinawillyieldmoretangibleresultsiftheinvestmentscancreatelocalemploymentinasociallyandenvironmentallysustainableway.
MamadouNdiaye,SenegaleseAmbassadortoChina
Thisyearmarksthe18thanniversarysincethefoundingofFOCAC,whichhasnowreachedanageofmaturity.FOCAChasstrengthenedrelationsbetweenChinaandAfricaatalllevels,butnowwemustreachnewheights.AfricaiscurrentlyimplementingitsAgenda2063developmentprogramandweneedChina鈥檚support,especiallywithregardtointegratingprojectsinareasofconnectivity,energy,roads,telecommunications,railwaysandevenairways.Allofthesewillpromoteintra-Africantrade.
PaulChikawa,ZimbabweanAmbassadortoChina
MyexpectationsareveryhighbecauseFOCACisthepremierplatformforChina-Africacooperationinvariousfields,focusingespeciallyoneconomiccooperation.InDecember2015,duringtheFOCACJohannesburgSummitinSouthAfrica,PresidentXiannounced10majorcooperationplansbetweenChinaandAfricaandunveiledabudgetof$60billion.
Iamveryoptimisticthatthisyear鈥檚summitwillseemorehappeningsbetweenChinaandAfrica.ForZimbabwe,acountrythatwasthereinthebeginning,Iexpectlotsofcooperationinvariousareas鈥攖hesecouldbeagriculture,mining,tourism,people-topeopleexchanges,culturalexchanges,mediaexchangesorhealthandsecurity.
Overall,IamveryoptimisticthatthisisanopportunitywheretheChineseleadership,representedbyPresidentXi,andvariousAfricanleaderswillfindopportunitiestodiscusswin-wincooperationunderthepresentframeworkofwhatPresidentXihascreatedinsocialismwithChinesecharacteristicsforaneweraandacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind.
FOCAChasboostedbilateralinvestmentcooperationandtraderelations.Justtoillustratethis,whenFOCACstartedin2000,ChinawasZimbabwe鈥檚leadingforeigndirectinvestor.Thecountryinvestedabout$600millionthatyearandwastheNumberoneinvestmentpartnerforanumberofyearsafterward.ChinahasbecomethesecondbiggesttradingpartnerofZimbabweandallthisisbecauseFOCAChasgiventheplatformandtheumbrellatopromotetradeandinvestmentrelations,soitisapositivekindofrelationshipforus.
AKenyanstudentstudyinginChinapracticeshisskillsundertheguidanceofaChineseworkeratarailyardinJinan,capitalofeastChina鈥檚ShandongProvince,onJuly24XINHUAYusufHassanIbrahim,SomalianAmbassadortoChina
FOCAChasalwaysbeenasuccessfulforumbringingAfricaandChinatogether,workinganddoingeverythingpossibletoservethepeoplesofChinaandAfrica.AsFOCACwillbeheldinBeijingthisyear,itisagoodopportunityfortheleadersofChinaandAfricatogettogetherandcontinuetheprogresstheyhaveachievedinpreviousyears.
TheambitiouscooperationplanscomingoutoftheJohannesburgSummitofFOCACinDecember2015,whichhavebeenimplementedinthelastthreeyears,willbeanexampleofthesuccessandprogressthatFOCACcanachieveaftertheforthcomingBeijingSummit.
Ahc猫neBoukhelfa,AlgerianAmbassadortoChina
AlgeriahasbeenamemberofFOCACsinceitscreationin2000andwehaveactivelytakenpartinallofthemeetings.Oneachoccasion,weputforwardideasandsuggestionsaimedatadvancingcooperationbetweenChinaandAfrica.Sincethecreationoftheforum,relationsbetweenChinaandAfricainallfieldshavedevelopedandgrowninaquiteremarkableway.Needlesstosay,weshallcontinuetoworkwithintheframeworkoftheforumwithAfricansandChinesetodeveloprelationsbetweenthetwosides,tohelpourideasgrow,andtodevelopcooperationprojectsinAfricawithtechnical,financialandtechnologicalsupportfromChinawhenneeded.
Chinaalsobenefitsfromthiscooperationandexchange,sowearetalkingaboutwin-winrelationsthatbenefitbothAfricancountriesandourChinesefriends.AlgeriawillcontinuetoworkunderthisframeworkforthedevelopmentofAfrica.WeareanAfricancountryanddeeplycommittedtoAfricanunityanddevelopment,andtothedevelopmentofAlgeriafortheprosperityandwellbeingofitspeople.ManythingshavebeenachievedalreadythankstoourcooperationwithChina,andwestillhavemuchmoretoachieve.
CopyeditedbyFranciscoLittleandLaurenceCoultonCommentsto