Michele Geraci, former Under Secretary of State at Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development, posted on his Twitter account a 2008 European Union study on the EU’s support for China’s development policy for Africa. He added the comment: “In substance, the EU says Yes to the Silk Road. Incredible, right? I agree 100% with the Commission. At that time they, as I did, understood what the main road is.” Geraci then thanks the Schiller Institute and Claudio Celani for drawing his attention to the document.
Searching through archives, EIR has found a 2008 EU official paper, in which the EU Commission recommended member countries to endorse an action plan for EU-China cooperation in Africa. EIR then forwarded the link to Michele Geraci, noted for his coverage of China’s economic development projects.
The evaluation of China’s Africa policy contained in the document is diametrically opposed to the one by the current EU Commission, as it considers Beijing and the EU interests being the same. Under the headline “The EU, Africa and China: Towards Trilateral Dialogue and Cooperation,” the “Communication” from the EU Commission to the European Parliament, the EU Council and other EU institutions, states, among others, that “the European Union and China are both long-standing partners of African countries,” and describes China’s approach in Africa as follows: “China’s official development policy is to pursue cooperation with the focus on sovereignty, solidarity, peace and development with non-interference in domestic affairs and mutual benefit as key principles. Trade, investment, turnkey infrastructure projects and training in China (fellowships) are the main tools supported mainly through loans and in-kind operations.”
It then states that “both the EU and China have a strong shared interest in promoting stable and sustainable development in Africa” and that this reality “has been recognized by the EU and China” at the tenth China-EU Summit in Beijing on Nov. 28, 2007.
The question is therefore “whether more can be done between the EU, Africa and China to reinforce their policy dialogue and cooperation through forms of trilateral cooperation.” The EU Commission “argues that we should begin on the basis of consensus to establish, in a gradual, but progressive way, a cooperative three-way agenda with both our African and Chinese partners in a number of areas where synergies and mutual benefits can be maximized.”
