Extracts.
China-Africa Cooperation Forum to Open October 10
China has maintained traditional friendly cooperation
with African countries, and under the current
circumstances, it is in their best interests to
promote Sino-African unity.
With these goals as the focus, the Forum on
China-Africa Cooperation -- Ministerial Conference
Beijing 2000 will open Tuesday, a meeting proposed by
the Chinese government at the suggestion of some
African countries.
In October last year, Chinese President Jiang Zemin
wrote to the top leaders of some African countries
and to Salim Salim, secretary-general of the
Organization of African Unity, proposing that the
forum be held. Jiang's proposal received a warm
welcome and African countries responded positively.
An ad hoc preparatory committee was set up
subsequently in China, headed by the foreign ministry
and the foreign trade ministry and consisting of 18
other Chinese organizations.
With Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and Foreign Trade
Minister Shi Guangsheng as honorary presidents, the
committee is co-chaired by Vice Foreign Minister Ji
Peiding and Vice Foreign Trade Minister Sun
Guangxiang. It has a secretariat assigned to do
preparations.
The forum will focus on two topics: how to push ahead
with the establishment of a new international
political and economic order that is fair and just in
the new century, and how to promote Sino-African
economic and trade cooperation.
The forum will be held according to the principles of
equal consultations, increasing understanding,
widening consensus, strengthening friendship and
promoting cooperation.
Sources from the foreign ministry said foreign
ministers and trade ministers from about 40 African
countries that have diplomatic ties with China will
attend. In addition, representatives from some
international and regional institutions are in
Beijing as special guests.
During the forum, several meetings will run
simultaneously so as to ensure that all the
participating nations will have time to voice their
comments and exchange views on cooperation in trade
and economic fields.
While heads of delegations will deliver speeches at
the main venue on the two main topics, seminars
focusing on particular issues will be held at
different venues for discussions on Sino-African
cooperation in trade, economic and other substantial
fields. During the forum, officials from
participating African countries will meet Chinese
officials from different cities, provinces and
autonomous regions as well as Chinese entrepreneurs.
After the forum, African guests will visit developed
coastal cities including Zhuhai, Guangzhou and
Shenzhen.
The forum will publish two documents, the Beijing
Declaration and Sino-African Cooperation Guidelines
for Economic and Social Development. The declaration
will reflect the common views of the two sides on
major international and political issues; the
guidelines will elaborate on the purpose, plans and
procedures of the two sides for boosting Sino-African
cooperation in diverse sectors.
The convening of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum
is an important step taken by the two sides to hold
group dialogue and seek common development at the
turn of the century.
An unprecedented event in the history of Sino-African
relations and the five decades of diplomacy of the
People's Republic of China, the forum will serve to
further strengthen Sino-African friendly cooperation,
promote South-to-South cooperation, and accelerate
the establishment of a new international political
and economic order that is fair and just.
****
Jiang: China Persistent in Developing Sino-DPRK Ties
Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central
Committee, attended a banquet in Beijing
Monday night marking the 55th anniversary of
the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea
(WPK) at the embassy of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Jiang expressed "warm and sincere congratulation" on
the 55th anniversary of the WPK during a meeting with
DPRK's Ambassador to China Chu Chang Jun, and asked
the ambassador to convey his best regards to DPRK
leader Kim Jong Il.
Jiang praised the WPK, founded by the late DPRK
leader Kim Il Sung, as having achieved great success
in socialist revolution and construction after it led
the DPRK people to victory in the country's
liberation war.
Jiang said, over the past few years, the WPK under
the leadership of General-Secretary Kim Jong Il has
continued to march forward along the socialist road
and has scored remarkable progress in improving
North-South relations and in expanding its external
ties.
The Chinese side believes that under the leadership
of WPK led by Kim Jong Il, the DPRK people will score
even greater progress, Jiang said.
Jiang said that the China-DPRK friendship has
strengthened and has been marked with new progress
under the joint efforts and care from both sides.
During the visit to China by Kim Jong Il last May,
the two sides reached consensus on further
development of China- DPRK relations, which has
injected new vigor into the friendly and cooperative
relations between the two countries, Jiang said.
The Chinese leader said the CPC and the Chinese
Government made it a set long-term policy to
constantly consolidate and develop China-DPRK
traditional relations. The Chinese side will work
together with the DPRK side to strengthen bilateral
cooperation and push forward China-DPRK friendly
relations to new levels.
Chu Chang Jun conveyed Kim Jong Il's greetings to
Jiang and said that it has been a consistent policy
of the DPRK side to highly value, consolidate and
develop DPRK-China friendly and cooperative
relations.
At the banquet, Ambassador Chu made a speech, and
Zeng Qinghong, an alternate member of the Political
Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and also a member
of its Secretariat, delivered a speech on behalf of
the CPC Central Committee. They warmly praised the
friendship between the two parties and two countries.
More than 100 Chinese officials from the Chinese
party, military, and government agencies attended the
banquet.
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