Despite Global Economic Difficulties:China Reassures Sustained African Partnership

By Godlove BAINKONG, Cameroon Tribune, Beijing, China

Foreign Minister says the ten cooperation plans reached last year will be pursued to the letter.

Irrespective of the unfavourable global economic environment that is leaving no economy indifferent, the People’s Republic of China is reassuring Africa that development commitments taken with the continent will be pursued to the letter. “Whenever China makes a promise, she delivers,” the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister,

Wang Yi told the local and foreign media covering two ongoing sessions of China’s Law Makers in the capital, Beijing.

He was speaking at the Beijing Press Centre on Tuesday March 8, 2016 on the sidelines of the ongoing National People’s Congress and the fourth session of the 12^th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People. Addressing the over 3,200 journalists accredited to cover the twin heralded events, Mr Wang says Chinese foreign policy is of no conflict but mutual respect for win-win cooperation will be pursued within and without Africa. The close to two-hour encounter with the press centered on “China’s Foreign Policy and Foreign Relations.”

He reiterated the posture of his government to stand by the ten cooperation agreements she reached with Africa at the last China-Africa Summit in South Africa last December 2015 so as to lift the continent out of poverty. The Minister disclosed that after taking the commitment, which most Heads of State who attended lauded as an example of growing win-win cooperation, China has already started contacting individual countries to see how to transform the plan from wish to reality. The South African Summit, it should be noted, resulted in Chinese President, Xi Jinping pledging a 60 billion dollars Chinese investment in Africa; far more than the five billion dollars pledge in 2006, 10 billion dollars in 2009 and 20 billion dollars in 2012.  Attention is now focused on how well China will live up to the pledge before the next China-Africa Summit billed for 2018.

Other points of interest at the Tuesday’s press conference were China’s preparations for the upcoming G20 Summit she is scheduled to host this year, relations between the world’s first and second economic superpowers, USA and China and why China is adopting a policy of non-interference in the political affairs of the countries she partners with. To all of these, Minister Wang said, “We will pursue win-win cooperation with all the countries of the world. We want to make China a new launch path for the world economy.”