At the invitation of Mr. Mats Karlsson, Country Director of World Bank in Ghana, H.E. Amb. Zhang Keyuan made a brief speech and answered questions from participants at the Ghana launch of the report entitled Africa's Silk Road: China and India'sNew Economic Frontier on November 16, 2006.
The full text of the brief speech is as follows:
Dear Mr. Chairman Joe Abe
Hon. Deputy Minister Kwadwo Affram Aseidu
Mr. Mats Karlsson
Dr. Harry G. Broadman
His Excellency, my dear colleague Mr. Rajesh Nandon Prasad, the Indian High Commissioner,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It's a great pleasure for me to be invited at the launch of this report today. First of all, please allow me to extend my warm congratulations and deep appreciation to Dr. Broadman. Thanks for your efforts, comprehensive surveys and feasible advices have been achieved in the report. As we know, the trade and investment in Africa by Asian countries bloomed in recent years and it has become a highlight in the news. I'm sure your report is helpful to promote further development of Asia-Africa cooperation. Secondly, I would also like to take this opportunity to inform you the latest development in our relationship with Africa, namely, the Beijing Summit of China-Africa Cooperation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is well known that the friendship between China and Africa has a long history and, having been tested by times, is strong and vigorous. Over the past 50 years, China has provided African countries its support and assistance within its own capacity and at the same time, China gets supports from African countries in bilateral relations and international arena.
The Forum of China-Africa Cooperation, which was launched at the beginning of new millennium, now has been an effective mechanism for both sides to conduct collective dialogue and an important platform to conduct pragmatic cooperation. Within the framework of the Forum, China has made three priorities in developing economic and trade with Africa. First, the importation of African commodities should be expanded. China will take effective measures to create conditions for Africa to introduce and promote its commodities. Second, technical assistance must go hand in hand with economic assistance and cooperation. The focus is to enhance the self-development ability of Africa. Third, efforts should be intensified in capacity building. Last but least, the debt relief. So I would like to reiterate what President Hu Jintao announced at the Summit the Eight Steps in further developing our bilateral ties with Africa.
They are:
"1. Double China's 2006 assistance to Africa by 2009.
2. Provide US$3 billion of preferential loans and US$2 billion of preferential buyer's credits to Africa in the next three years.
3. Set up a China-Africa development fund which will reach US$5 billion to encourage Chinese companies to invest in Africa and provide support to them.
4. Build a conference centre for the African Union to support African countries in their efforts to strengthen themselves through unity and support the process of African integration.
5. Cancel debt in the form of all the interest-free government loans that matured at the end of 2005 owed by the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) and the least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa that have diplomatic relations with China.
6. Further open up China's market to Africa by increasing from 190 to over 440 the number of export items to China receiving zero-tariff treatment from the least developed countries in Africa having diplomatic ties with China.
7. Establish three to five trade and economic cooperation zones in Africa in the next three years.
8. Over the next three years, train 15,000 African professionals; send 100 senior agricultural experts to Africa; set up 10 special agricultural technology demonstration centres in Africa; build 30 hospitals in Africa and provide RMB 300 million of grant for providing artemisinin and building 30 malaria prevention and treatment centres to fight malaria in Africa; dispatch 300 youth volunteers to Africa; build 100 rural schools in Africa; and increase the number of Chinese government scholarships to African students from the current 2000 per year to 4000 per year by 2009."
Hopefully, such steps will dress partly the concerns raised in the book and it will also benefit Ghana in the coming years.
Thank you.