An exhibition to show the achievements made during the six years after
creation of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held here on
Friday on the eve of the two-day Beijing Summit.
The exhibition, through some 250 pictures, showed the achievements in
cooperation and exchanges between China and Africain fields of politics,
economy, trade, education and security.
In a speech at the opening ceremony, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan
said FOCAC, which was set up in 2000, is the natural fruit of years of sincere
friendship on the basis of equality and mutual assistance between China and
Africa.
Recalling the achievements will further strengthen bilateral understanding,
friendship and cooperation, he said, adding China and Africa will forever be
all-weather friends, good partners and brothers.
FOCAC is a mechanism for collective dialogue and cooperation jointly
established by China and Africa to cope with new challenges and facilitate
common development.
Beijing Summit, slated for Nov. 4-5, will draw leaders and senior officials
from 48 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China.
Since FOCAC was established six years ago, economic and trade cooperation
between China and Africa has entered a new era, with comprehensive, rapid and
stable development.
The two-way trade volume reached 39.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2005 and China
has exempted 10.9 billion yuan of debts of 31 heavily indebted poor countries
and least developed countries in Africa.
Until August of this year, China had trained over 11,000 personnel for
African countries.
