Forum on China-Africa cooperation fruitful

PRETORIA - Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming said that the 10th Senior Officials' Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) which was held in South Africa's Pretoria delivered fruitful results across the African continent.

Zhang said that FOCAC had traversed an extraordinary path since its inception in 2000, and with the expansion of the FOCAC family and improvement of its mechanisms, the forum has guided and driven the fast development of China-Africa relations across the continent.

When talking about the achievements of China-Africa cooperation, Zhang said that the trade volume between China and Africa has grown rapidly, reaching 210 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, 21 times than that of 2000.

For every 100 dollars worth of goods exported by Africa in 2013, nearly 20 dollars of them were bought by China, in comparison with the mere 3 dollars in 2000.

Investment and financing cooperation between China and Africa has moved forward fast. China's total direct investment in Africa is nearly 30 billion dollars and Chinese commercial loans to Africa have exceeded 50 billion dollars, with cooperation projects all over the African continent.

Personnel exchanges between the two sides have become increasingly close. In 2013, 1.895 million visits were made by Chinese with Africa as their first stop and 553,000 visits were made by African people to China.

Zhang told Xinhua that it is under the guidance of FOCAC that China-Africa solidarity and cooperation, which started in the 1950s, have gained greater relevance and strength in the new century.

"China and Africa have gained tremendous benefits from their cooperation, and more importantly, built a strong bond of brotherhood," Zhang added.

FOCAC will celebrate its 15th anniversary next year, and China is ready to work with the African side to ensure the success of the sixth FOCAC Ministerial Meeting and elevate the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership to a higher level, the vice minister said.