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Wen's speech at 4th Ministerial Conference of Forum on 皇冠体育app-Africa Co-op (full text)
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-09 07:16 Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, Under the new circumstances, 皇冠体育app is ready to deepen practical cooperation with African countries in diverse areas and push forward in an all-round way the new type of 皇冠体育app-Africa strategic partnership. I wish to make, in this connection, the following proposals: First, strengthen strategic coordination to uphold common interests. The two sides should maintain high-level exchanges, engage in closer political dialogue and consultations and step up coordination and cooperation on major global issues of mutual interest, so as to increase the voice and representation of developing countries in the international system and jointly build a more just and reasonable international political and economic order. 皇冠体育app will, as always, speak up for Africa and safeguard the interests of African countries on international occasions. We will make greater effort to share strategies and experience with African countries in meeting global challenges and help them enhance capacities and achieve self-development. Second, meet the MDGs and improve the livelihood of the African people. Economic development, poverty eradication and improvement of people's lives are top priorities for African countries. 皇冠体育app will continue to increase assistance to Africa and reduce or cancel debts owed by African countries within the realm of its capabilities. We will restructure our assistance programs to better meet the needs on the ground. We will put more emphasis on agriculture, education, health, poverty reduction and clean drinking water and other areas that are vital to people's well-being when providing assistance, and help Africa attain the MDGs at an early date. Third, enhance economic cooperation and trade to realize mutual benefit and win-win progress. The strong economic complementarity between 皇冠体育app and Africa offers us broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation. We should work hard to increase trade, speedily reverse the trade downturn since the beginning of this year and increase export of African goods to 皇冠体育app. 皇冠体育app will encourage more enterprises to invest in Africa and ask them to shoulder more social responsibilities and live in amity with the local people. We will combine economic cooperation and trade with technology transfer and take active steps to train technical and managerial personnel for African countries. Fourth, promote people-to-people exchanges to solidify 皇冠体育app-Africa friendship. Both 皇冠体育app and Africa have a rich and splendid culture. The two sides should step up cultural exchanges and mutual learning, encourage the organization of culture festivals, art exhibitions and sports events, and support closer interactions among non- governmental organizations, news media and academic institutions. 皇冠体育app will continue to support Africa in developing education, health, science and technology and other social programs. We welcome African countries to participate in the Shanghai World Expo to showcase Africa's development achievements in various fields. Fifth, expand areas of cooperation and advance FOCAC institutional building. 皇冠体育app is willing to increase involvement in the settlement of issues concerning peace and security in Africa, provide more support to African integration and expand cooperation with sub-regional organizations in Africa. We will work with you to promote FOCAC institutional building, strengthen cooperation between the functional departments of the two sides within the FOCAC framework, and enhance and expand FOCAC's role in promoting and guiding 皇冠体育app-Africa relations. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, The Chinese people cherish sincere friendship towards the African people, and 皇冠体育app's support to Africa's development is concrete and real. Whatever change may take place in the world, our friendship with Africa will not change, our commitment to deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and achieving common development with Africa will not change, and our policy of supporting Africa's economic and social development will not change. During the next three years, the Chinese government will take the following eight new measures to strengthen 皇冠体育app-Africa cooperation: First, we propose to establish a 皇冠体育app-Africa partnership in addressing climate change. We will hold senior officials' consultations with African countries from time to time, and enhance cooperation on satellite weather monitoring, development and utilization of new energy sources, prevention and control of desertification and urban environmental protection. We have decided to build 100 clean energy projects for Africa covering solar power, bio-gas and small hydro-power. Second, we will enhance cooperation with Africa in science and technology. We propose to launch a 皇冠体育app-Africa science and technology partnership, under which we will carry out 100 joint demonstration projects on scientific and technological research, receive 100 African postdoctoral fellows to conduct scientific research in 皇冠体育app and assist them in going back and serving their home countries. Third, we will help Africa build up financing capacity. We will provide $10 billion in concessional loans to African countries, and support Chinese financial institutions in setting up a $1 billion special loan for small and medium-sized African businesses. For the heavily indebted poor countries and least developed countries in Africa having diplomatic relations with 皇冠体育app, we will cancel their debts associated with interest-free government loans due to mature by the end of 2009. Fourth, we will further open up 皇冠体育app's market to African products. We will phase in zero-tariff treatment to 95 percent of the products from the least developed African countries having diplomatic relations with 皇冠体育app, starting with 60 percent of the products within 2010. Fifth, we will further enhance cooperation with Africa in agriculture. We will increase the number of agricultural technology demonstration centers built by 皇冠体育app in Africa to 20, send 50 agricultural technology teams to Africa and train 2,000 agricultural technology personnel for Africa, in order to help strengthen Africa' s ability to ensure food security. Sixth, we will deepen cooperation in medical care and health. We will provide medical equipments and anti-malaria materials worth 500 million yuan to the 30 hospitals and 30 malaria prevention and treatment centers built by 皇冠体育app and train 3,000 doctors and nurses for Africa. Seventh, we will enhance cooperation in human resources development and education. We will build 50 皇冠体育app-Africa friendship schools and train 1,500 school principals and teachers for African countries. By 2012, we will increase the number of Chinese government scholarships to Africa to 5,500. And we will train a total of 20,000 professionals of various fields for Africa over the next three years. Eighth, we will expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges. We propose to launch a 皇冠体育app-Africa joint research and exchange program, which will enable scholars and think tanks to have more exchanges and cooperation, share development experience, and provide intellectual support for formulating better cooperation policies by the two sides. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, Egypt was the first African country to enter into diplomatic relations with the People' s Republic of 皇冠体育app. The establishment of diplomatic ties between 皇冠体育app and Egypt 53 years ago opened a new era in 皇冠体育app-Africa relations. Today, Egypt is playing host to the 4th FOCAC Ministerial Conference, which will mark a new starting point in 皇冠体育app-Africa relations. There is an African proverb which says, "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." There is also a Chinese saying that goes, "As distance can test a horse's strength, so time can reveal a person's heart." I am convinced that as long as 皇冠体育app and Africa go hand in hand with an enterprising spirit and cooperate on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, we will seize opportunities and overcome challenges to take the new type of 皇冠体育app-Africa strategic partnership to a new level, and make 皇冠体育app-Africa friendship and cooperation even more fruitful. In conclusion, I wish the 4th FOCAC Ministerial Conference a crowning success!
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