Sino-African ties boosted as Beijing pledges support to continent

Nov 9, 2009, 15:12 GMT

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt- China's Minister of Commerce Chen Deming promised on Monday to open Chinese markets to African exports and create more jobs for Africans.

Chen was speaking at a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit at the end of a Chinese-African meeting held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Abul-Gheit described the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) as 'successful by all measures,' as delegations from 49 African countries and Chinese counterparts wrapped up their two-day summit earlier in the day.

Chen said that Chinese companies will be directed to 'take more responsibility in Africa by creating job opportunities to African people in their homeland so they can benefit from Sino-African cooperation.'

Participants at the forum approved the Sharm el-Sheikh declaration and the action plan which draw up means of bilateral cooperation in the next three years.

The statements came one day after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged 10 billion dollars in new loans to African nations for the development of infrastructure and social programs at the opening of the summit.

China would also set up environmental and scientific programmes in the continent, Wen said.

China is to set up 100 clean energy projects as well as science and technology partnership, under which China would carry out 100 joint demonstration projects with Africa on scientific and technological research and receive 100 African postdoctoral fellows to conduct scientific research.

Wen also promised that China would build 50 schools and train 1,500 school principals and teachers for African countries.

China will also help in the medical care and health African sectors, by providing medical equipment and anti-malaria materials worth 500 million yuan (73.2 million dollars) to the 30 hospitals and 30 malaria prevention and treatment centres built by China, as well as training 3,000 doctors and nurses for Africa.

At the press conference, Chen reiterated Chinese officials' denials to claims that China is exploiting African nations in order to fulfill its own needs for energy and resources.

Chen described Beijing's aid to Africa was 'integral and unconditional.'

'Our support to Africa is based on international commercial rules as well as national market rules,' Chen said, adding that assistance is based on 'improving people's lives and protecting the environment.'

The fifth annual meeting will be held in Beijing in 2012.