In tune with the meeting in Johannesburg, of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which President Xi Jinping and his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma are co-chairing, China, has elaborated on its collective approach towards Africa.
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Another official said South Africa particularly welcomed China agreeing for the first time to beneficiate African minerals at source.
Xi reaches to shake Mugabe’s hand during the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation in Sandton, Johannesburg.
As the most industrialised country in Africa, South Africa stood most to gain from China’s moves towards greater investment in Africa and especially in adding value to raw materials.
China has always adhered to the principle of “African issues should be addressed by the African people in the African way”, Xi said, stressing that the country will never interfere in internal affairs of the African countries.
He said: “China strongly believes Africa belongs to the African people and African problems should be handled by the African people”. Mr. Wang, the foreign minister, has pointed out that China and Africa will “strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism and extremism” – a decision that has been steeled following the recent killing on three Chinese engineers and technicians in Mali.
Here is the representative of a country once called poor.
“The strategic partnership and cooperation between Africa and the People’s Republic of China is an important instrument towards the achievement of our development goals”.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he had done for Africa “what we expected from colonisers in history” by giving Africa a $60 billion aid package.
But China too has irked some Africans in the past for using Chinese firms and labour to build state-funded roads and railways in Africa while buying up commodities and leaving little for local economies – an image Mr Xi is keen to change during a two-day conference in South Africa that ends on Saturday.
President Xi told more than 35 African heads of state that the momentum of rapid growth in Africa was “unstoppable” and that he will make sure China will be involved every step of the way in the continent’s progress.
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In his visit to Africa in 2013, Xi put forth the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, with the objective of closely combining efforts to help Africa achieve economic independence and sustainable development and thus achieve win-win cooperation and common development with China.
