Call for voices from developing countries
By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-08-17 05:50

China's top press officer yesterday vowed to strengthen media co-operation with Africa to raise voices from the developing world.

Cai Wu, the newly-appointed minister of the Information Office of the State Council, chats with Belinda Ayessa (left) from Republic of Congo and other guests yesterday at the opening reception of the workshop. [newsphoto]

Cai Wu, the newly-appointed minister of the State Council Information Office, made the remark at the opening reception of a Sino-African information research workshop. It was his first foreign affairs function after assuming office.

Press officials and the heads of major media organizations from 18 French-speaking African countries are participating in the 12-day event, during which they are expected to attend press seminars, meet Chinese press officials and visit media operations in Beijing and other cities. The first workshop was held last year.

"China and African countries should work together to change the current situation in international opinion, in which developing countries are reported in a distorted and unfair way," Cai said.

Effective communications have been established between his office and its counterparts in many African countries, Cai said.

Cai Wu, newly-appointed minister of the Information Office of the State Council. [newsphoto]

Speaking on behalf of the African delegation, Atta Yacouba, an information official from Cote d'Ivoire, said they appreciated China's support and hoped to gain insight into China's achievements in the media from the event.

During the Second Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation in 2003, China pledged to further increase its financial aid to the African Human Resources Development Fund for the training of up to 10,000 African personnel in three years.

Cai, 56, holds a PhD in law and serves as professor in the School of International Relations at the Renmin University of China.

Before taking the current post, he had worked at the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC since March 1995, working up to the position of vice-minister.

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