II. Follow-up actions and Efforts to Improve Forum Mechanism

    Over the three years after the holding of the 2000 Ministerial Conference, great progress has been made in follow-up actions thanks to the joint efforts of China and African countries.

    ---- There have been frequent bilateral exchanges of senior officials and various types of professionals at different levels, and the political consultation mechanism has become increasingly diverse. Chinese leaders have paid 20 visits to Africa, and more than 30 African leaders visited China. The political consultation mechanism between Chinese and African foreign ministries, and the bilateral mechanisms for the mixed economic and trade committees and the joint science and technology committees have been operating well, thereby playing an active role in furthering dialogues and coordination between China and African countries.

    
    ---- The cooperation in international affairs has been enhanced. China and African countries have been working in close cooperation and have supported each other in the United Nations and other multilateral arenas, thus safeguarding the legitimate interests and rights of both sides. China has strongly supported and participated in the United Nations peacekeeping actions in Africa by sending military observers and peacekeepers to the United Nations special missions to the Congo (Kinshasa) and the United Nations special missions to Libya, thus making its due contribution to the peace and stability in Africa.

    
    ---- Mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation has turned out to be fruitful. Trade between China and Africa has been growing at an average annual rate of 20 percent, rising from 10.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to 12.389 billion dollars in 2002. By the end of October 2003, before the convocation of the forum of the second ministerial conference, bilateral trade had amounted to 14.98 billion dollars. China’s investment in Africa has grown rapidly, with 117 Chinese enterprises of various types launched in Africa in the three years.

    
    ---- The Chinese side has reduced and exempted 10.5 billion yuan worth of matured debts owed 31 African countries to China, fulfilling ahead of schedule its commitment to debt exemptions for African countries. Meanwhile, China has continued offering aid to African countries to the best of its financial capability by increasing its total amount of aid to African countries, and steadily expanding the ratio of gratis aid.

    
    ---- Bilateral cooperation in developing human resources has turned out to be remarkable. With the implementation of the “African Human Resources Development Fund” program, China has held nearly 300 training courses about 7,000 African professionals. It has also sent more than 500 experts and teachers to Africa.

    ----Cooperation has been expanding steadily in the areas such as medical care, health, finance, tourism, culture, science and technology, and environmental protection.

    Meanwhile, efforts have been made to improve the FOCAC’s mechanism, providing a system guarantee for the sound development of the forum.

    At the Beijing Ministerial Conference in 2000, China and Africa reached a consensus regarding the continuation and development of the forum. After the conference, construction of the forum’s mechanism was included in the agenda of both sides.

    The Chinese Follow-up Committee of FOCAC was established, composed of 21 ministerial units, on the basis of the former Preparing Committee. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation served as honorary co-chairmen of the committee, and senior leaders of the two ministries as co-chairmen.

    The committee undertakes to coordinate follow-up actions of all departments. The Secretariat of the Committee is made up of officials from the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Trade an Economics and Finance Ministry, with the director of the department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs serving as the secretary-general.

    The Office of the Secretariat is in the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handles routine affairs. Follow-up ministerial committees were established in Ethiopia, Zambia, Sudan and some other African countries.

    In July 2001, China and African countries held a ministerial consultation meeting in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, with two major results. One was the decision to hold the second ministerial conference of FOCAC in Ethiopia at the end of 2003. The other was that the meeting adopted in principal the “Procedures of the Follow-Up Mechanism of the FOCAC,” establishing a concrete mechanism framework for the future development of the Forum.

    With the approval by all countries, the “Procedures of the Follow-Up Mechanism of the FOCAC” officially took effect in April 2002. The procedures state that the ministerial meeting of the Forum will be held every three years in China and an African country by turns, and a senior officials meet will be held twice, one year before and several days before the ministerial meeting. In addition, ambassadors of African countries in China will hold regular consultations with the Chinese Secretariat of the Follow-Up Committee of FOCAC. The Lusaka Conference was of a far-reaching significance to the development of the forum, and marked  the start of operation of the FOCAC Mechanism.