The two-day summit meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) opened in Senegal on Nov. 29 and was addressed by video by Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Over the past three years and more, China and Africa have worked together to fully implement the eight major initiatives and other outcomes of the Beijing Summit, and completed a large number of priority cooperation projects,” Xi said. “China-Africa trade and China’s investment in Africa have been on a steady rise. Almost all African members of FOCAC have joined the big family of Belt and Road cooperation. All these have injected strong impetus into the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership.” [http://english.www.gov.cn/news/topnews/202111/30/content_WS61a577d6c6d0df57f98e5c05.html]
He began with the imminent need for aid in the pandemic. “To help the AU [African Union] achieve its goal of vaccinating 60% of the African population by 2022, I announce that China will provide another 1 billion doses of vaccines to Africa, including 600 million doses as donation and 400 million doses to be provided through such means as joint production by Chinese companies and relevant African countries. In addition, China will undertake 10 medical and health projects for African countries, and send 1,500 medical personnel and public health experts to Africa.”
Second in importance was the need for increasing agricultural production and productivity, Xi said: “China will undertake 10 poverty reduction and agricultural projects for Africa, and send 500 agricultural experts to Africa. China will set up a number of China-Africa joint centers for modern agrotechnology exchange, demonstration and training in China, encourage Chinese institutions and companies to build in Africa demonstration villages for China-Africa cooperation on agricultural development and poverty reduction, and support the Alliance of Chinese Companies in Africa for Corporate Social Responsibilities in launching the initiative of ‘100 Companies in 1,000 Villages.’”
He said that China will open “green lanes” for African agricultural exports to China, speed up the inspection and quarantine procedures, and further increase the scope of products enjoying zero-tariff treatment for the least developed countries (LDCs) having diplomatic relations with China, in a bid to reach $300 billion in total imports from Africa in the next three years.
