China-Africa trade co-op future brilliant: Minister

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-11 17:49

During the three years after the Beijing summit, Chen said, China provided assistance in a number of infrastructure projects, including the national stadium of Zambia, a bridge in Mali, a hydropower station in Gabon, the new airport of Mauritius and the ring road of Nairobi. China also built 100 schools for 50,000 children in rural areas and 30 hospitals with 4,000 beds.

Chen emphasized that China's assistance to Africa started not from the past a few years; in a long period since 50 years ago, Chinese people tightened their belts while supporting African people's cause for independence and development.

"I remember we accompanied President Hu to the cemetery of Chinese workers who died in building the Tanzania-Zambia Railway during our visit to Tanzania this year. When Mr Hu expressed his condolence in front of the tomb of a 22-year-old worker, our eyes were all filled with tears," Chen said.

He added that on the one hand, Chinese governmental aid is selfless and volunteer without any political conditions, and "we particularly provide more support to those least developed countries with little resources."

While on the other hand, Chen said, the investment of Chinese enterprises on African natural resources is through open and fair international bidding. Chinese enterprises not only exploit natural resources, but also transfer resources into deep processing. They sell their products to the world with international market prices and pay taxes, bringing more revenue to African countries. In effect, their investment makes African resources more valuable by breaking some Western countries' monopoly of resources and blockage of technology.

"We should not attach the label of neocolonialism to resources exploitation as long as it complies with the principle of equality and mutual benefit," Chen said.

Speaking about the prospect of China-Africa economic cooperation, Chen said during the coming three years since the conclusion of this ministerial conference till the next one, the economic and trade cooperation will be push to a higher level. " The action plan was adopted, so the governments, enterprises and all people of China and Africa should begin to act as soon as possible. I believe the future is brilliant."

As African countries want more products enter into Chinese market, "we will phase in zero tariff treatment to 95 percent of the products from the least developed African countries," he said, adding "only within next year, we will exempt the tariff of 4,700 items of goods, which is 10 times the current 470 items."

He said with China's zero tariff policy, more and more products made in Africa, including green agricultural and high quality industrial products, will enter into Chinese market with favorable price to serve Chinese people's demands.

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