III. Second Ministerial Conference of China-Africa Cooperation Forum

     From December 15 to 16, 2003, the Second Ministerial Conference of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum was convened in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. It is the first time that the ministerial conference of the Forum was held in an African country. Through bilateral communication and coordination the theme of the conference was set as solidifying and developing China-Africa friendship, and promoting and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation. The purpose of the conference was set as carrying out practical cooperation and taking specific actions.

    Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and 13 African leaders including Ethiopian President Girma Wolde Giorgis attended the opening ceremony of the conference. Also present at the conference were more than 70 ministers in charge of foreign affairs and international trade and economic cooperation from China and 44 African countries, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, a representative of the UN secretary-general, and several representatives of international and African regional organizations. Malawi Swaziland, which did not have diplomatic relations with China, also sent representatives to the meeting as observers. 

    Leaders from China and African countries and ministers reviewed the follow-up actions taken after the first ministerial conference in Beijing, primarily discussed new measures to deepen cooperation in political affairs, and economic and social development, and reached an extensive consensus. The conference issued the Addis Ababa Action Plan (2004-06), mapping out the overall plan for China-Africa cooperation over the future three years.

    Among the newly elected Chinese leaders, Premier Wen Jiabao was the first to visit Africa, reflecting the consistent policy of the Chinese government on attaching great importance to Africa. Addressing the opening ceremony of the conference, Premier Wen put forward a four-point proposal on promoting China-Africa relationships in the new situation:

    1. Supporting each other, promoting further development of traditional China-Africa friendship, further increasing high-level exchanges, deepening mutual political trust, and solidifying the cooperative basis;

    2. Increasing consultation, advancing the democratization of international relations, and advocating the exchange and drawing on between different cultures and different development modes all over the world.

    3. Coordinating positions to jointly meet the challenge posed  by the globalization, urging the international community to help developing African countries to improve their self-development  capability, promoting South-South cooperation and North-South dialogue, and safeguarding the rights and interests of developing countries.

    4. Deepening cooperation, and creating a new situation in China-African relations.

    On behalf of the Chinese government, Premier Wen also announced the following: that China would open it market, and provide tariff-exemption treatment to some goods exported to China by the least developed countries in Africa; that China would further its cooperation with African countries in human resources development, would substantially increase spending on training for the Africans and try to train some 10,000 professionals of all types for African countries within three years; that China would encourage domestic to cooperate with their African counterparts based on mutual benefit, and would support domestic enterprises in investing in Africa; that China would expand tourism cooperation, and grant  destination status for self-funded Chinese tourists to Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Tunis, and Zambia; and that China would increase cultural and non-governmental exchanges, and host the China-Africa Youth Festival, “Meet in Beijing” International Arts Festival, and “Chinese Culture Tour in Africa” in 2004.

     The African countries responded warmly to Premier Wen’s speech, highly China for its sincere friendship, and equal cooperation with Africa. They fully affirmed the mechanism of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, praising the forum as an effective framework for China and Africa to further consultations and cooperation.

    They agreed that the forum had played a key role in helping China and African countries achieve development and stability, and establishing a new and more rational international order. In that sense, it could be referred to as a new starting point for solidarity for and cooperation between Asia and Africa. Hence, it could be called the “Bandung Conference” in new situation.

    Leaders of African countries stressed that the Forum could help both sides strive for a more favorable environment for development through close cooperation, since China and Africa were in a vital historical phase of respective development.  In his congratulatory message, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised the forum as a model for South-South cooperation, explicitly indicating that Sino-African relations were still full of vigor.     

    Thanks to the close cooperation between the two sides, the second Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC, the first FOCAC conference held in an African country, proved to be tremendous success in the following aspects:

    In the first place, with great attention of both sides, the conference was attended by high-ranking officials and had an extensive impact. It fully met the needs of both sides by furthering mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, such as economy and trade, and coordinating positions in international affairs within the FOCAC framework. The forum turned out to be another successful example in South-South cooperation, and injected a new impetus to such cooperation.

    Secondly, substantial results were achieved in quest of pragmatic cooperation. The Action Plan adopted by the conference emphasized pragmatic actions. During the conference, China introduced a series of new concrete cooperation measures, with the aim of helping African countries achieve development and overcome practical difficulties. This provided a powerful driving force behind the growth of friendly China-African cooperation.

    Thirdly, the conference attained the goal of “taking the Forum as a platform to enable enterprises to play a key role.” The conference maintained that cooperation between China and African countries should not be restricted to the tier of the governments only. Instead, it was necessary to bright into full play the initiative of Chinese and African enterprises and make them a new vital force in cooperation between the two sides.

    In support of the conference, the first China-Africa Business Conference was held before the conference. Nearly 500 Chinese and African entrepreneurs attended the conference.  Contracts were signed for 16 cooperation projects, and letters of intention for cooperation in 15 projects were also signed, to the tune of   500 million U.S. dollars. The Business Conference created a successful precedent for contacts and exchanges between Chinese and African entrepreneurs. As a result, both sides decided to list the Business Conference as a major component of the FOCAC and to hold it simultaneously with the ministerial conference in the future.

    The second Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC was a meeting to link the past to the present. Its success proved that China and African countries shared not only a profound traditional friendship and solid foundation for cooperation, but also a strong desire to seek common development. The two sides enjoyed a vast prospect for cooperation.