A coordinators’ meeting on the implementation of the follow up actions of the Johannesburg summit of the Forum on China-Africa cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Beijing from 28 to 29 July. South Africa co-chaired the meeting with China on behalf of FOCAC.

The African Union Commission was represented by H.E Fatima Haram Acyl, Commissioner of Trade and Industry, while Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, Foreign Minister of Chad represented the African Union. Chad is the current chair of the AU. Over 300 delegates at ministerial and senior levels attended.

The purpose of the meeting was to take stock of the implementation of the 2016-2018 Action Plan that was agreed in Johannesburg in December 2015, and to give further impetus to the implementation of the FOCAC Action Plan’s five pillars and the identified areas of cooperation within the 10 major economic and trade domains. Apart from the plenary session of all the partners on 29 July, the meeting also saw the holding of a business cooperation ceremony, the signing of various bilateral and business agreements, dialogue between African and Chinese financial institutions, as well as a visit by delegates, to Suzhou on a tour of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) in Jiangsu province.

China puts $46 billion into Africa’s economy

The meeting appreciated the prompt action taken by both China and Africa in the implementation of the Johannesburg summit outcomes, with South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Honourable Maite Nkoana Mashabane declaring that “In a matter of months (since Johannesburg), we are busy with implementation, unlike past partnerships whose implementation would take a long time. By 2018 we shall have completed the first phase of action and ordinary Africans will be feeling the difference made by the partnership”.

Minister Mahamat expressed Africa’s hope to see greater synergy between the outcomes of Johannesburg and Africa’s agenda 2063 and its ten year implementation plan. He called for the empowerment of women and better services among other things, and highlighted the need for support to combat terrorism and manage migration. The Chinese President Mr Xi Jin Ping meanwhile declared, in a statement read by State Counsellor Mr Yang Jiechi that “China’s support for Africa’s peace and development will never change”.

The head of the African Union Commission delegation, Commissioner Acyl had earlier told a business meeting that “as Africa develops its own productive capacities, it will seek partnership with Chinese entrepreneurs and businesses to provide material inputs, technology, production know-how, investment capital, and training”. She also reminded delegates to start preparations for the ‘Invest in Africa Platform’ and pledged the commitment of African countries and the African Union Commission to take trade and investment relations with China to another level.

The meeting took stock of milestones already attained under the five pillars as follows; high level mutual visits; advancing mutually beneficial cooperation across the board; maintaining robust people to people and cultural exchanges; security cooperation; and cooperation in the international arena.

A joint communique issued at the end of the meeting stated that both sides had reaffirmed their readiness to make joint efforts to promote industrialisation and agricultural modernisation in Africa through alignment of industry, transfer of technology and human resources capacity development cooperation; and to continue to push forward the implementation of the agreed action plan. Delegates agreed to adhere to five cooperative concepts for the implementation of the Johannesburg outcomes of the FOCAC i.e. common, intensive, green, safe and open development. They called on the international community to pay greater attention to, and increase investment for peace, security and development for Africa and urged developed countries to honour their commitment to provide aid, transfer technologies and support capacity building of African countries and support African countries to tackle challenges in peace, security and development affairs.

FOCAC was launched in 2000 in Beijing as a tri annual collective dialogue platform for cooperation between Africa and China. The 2nd Africa-China Cooperation Forum Summit, which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa on the 4th and 5th of December 2015, under the theme “China-Africa Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development”, endorsed the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Action.

To drive the implementation of the action plan and the 10 major economic and trade domains, President Xi Jinping pledged 60 billion United States dollars in financial support to Africa distributed as follows: five billion dollars of free aid and interest free loan and interest free loans, 35 billion dollars of preferential loans and export credit on more favourable terms, five billion dollars of additional capital for the China Africa development fund, 5 billion dollars of initial capital of special loans for the development of African small to medium enterprises each, and 10 billion dollars for a China-Africa production capacity cooperation fund.

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Joint Statement of Coordinators’ Meeting of The Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of The Johannesburg Summit of The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)

Beijing, 29 July 2016

In order to jointly push forward the implementation of the follow-up actions of the Johannesburg Summit of the FOCAC, and provide new driving force for the implementation of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Johannesburg Action Plan (2016-2018), Coordinators from the People’s Republic of China, 51 African countries and the African Union Commission held a meeting of Coordinators in Beijing on 29 July 2016.

Both sides recalled the Johannesburg Summit of the FOCAC convened in South Africa from 4 to 5 December 2015, as well as post-Summit progress made in bilateral and multilateral cooperation to implement the Summit outcomes under the framework of the FOCAC. Both sides went through intense and comprehensive discussions on topics of strengthening coordination, intensifying efforts on further implementation of follow-up actions of the Johannesburg Summit, and promoting China-Africa win-win cooperation for common development, and reached the following consensus:

1.  Both sides highly acclaimed the great success of the Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC, fully appreciated its fruitful results and great significance, and spoke highly of the new concepts and new thinking of China’s policy to Africa and new measures for China-Africa cooperation articulated by President Xi Jinping, with the support of African Heads of State and Government, during the Johannesburg Summit. Both sides reiterated their commitments to working closely together to fully implement the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit and develop the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership featuring political equality and mutual trust, win-win economic cooperation, mutually enriching inter-civilization exchanges, mutual assistance in security, and solidarity and coordination in international affairs.

2.  Both sides highly acclaimed the rapid progress achieved on the follow-up actions of the Johannesburg Summit of the FOCAC, as well as the success of the Coordinators’ Meeting initialized by the co-chairs of the FOCAC, China and South Africa. The African side appreciated the fact that China has kept its promises and suited the action to the word. China fully appreciated the constant efforts the African side has made in the implementation work of the Johannesburg Summit. Both sides were pleased to notice that, China and Africa have reached a great deal of cooperation agreements and made remarkable achievements after the Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC. Both sides reaffirmed their readiness to make joint efforts to promote industrialization and agricultural modernization in Africa through industry alignment, transfer of technology and human resources capacity development cooperation, focus on industry alignment and production capacity cooperation between China and Africa, and continue to push forward the implementation of the follow-up actions of the Ten Cooperation Plans and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Johannesburg Action Plan (2016-2018) in a safe, orderly and efficient way.

3.  Both sides enhanced the exchange of views on cooperation and agreed to adhere to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith and uphold the values of friendship, justice and shared interests, as well as the following FIVE cooperative concepts and make joint efforts for the implementation of the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit of the FOCAC and promote China-Africa cooperation on development:

• Adhering to the concept of common development. Both sides will combine the peaceful development of China with the self-sustainable development of Africa, jointly translate the advantages of Africa’s natural and human resources into development outcomes that will benefit the people, to support Africa to accelerate the development of industrialization and diversification of economy, so as to realize win-win cooperation for common development between China and Africa.

• Adhering to the concept of intensive development. Both sides agree to combine the construction of infrastructure projects with the development of industrial parks and special economic zones, so as to achieve sound interaction and mutual benefit between infrastructure projects and industrial development. Both sides will not only seek economic and social benefits of the projects themselves, but also focus on the self-sustainable development of Africa, and try our best to avoid risks of debt and financial burden for Africa. The African side highly appreciated the initiative made by China to kick off pioneering work in the demonstration countries and accumulate successful experience to guide comprehensive cooperation between China and Africa.

• Adhering to the concept of green development. Both sides will focus on the protection of eco-environment and strengthen cooperation on eco-civilization. Both sides will simultaneously promote economic cooperation and protection of local environment and wild lives according to laws, so as to ensure that China-Africa cooperation will never be pursued at the expense of local eco-system and long-term interests.

• Adhering to the concept of safe development. Both sides will enhance cooperation on peace and security and take comprehensive measures to tackle both the symptoms and root causes of the security problems, and improve the capability of maintaining peace and stability, counter-terrorism and law enforcement, thus creating and safeguarding lasting peaceful and secure environments for China-Africa cooperation on development and ensure the protection of personal safety and legal interests of investors.

• Adhering to the concept of open development. Supporting Africa to achieve peace, stability and development is in conformity with common interests of the world people and is the shared responsibility of the international community. Both sides will uphold the concepts of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation and welcome the international community to make more contributions to the realization of lasting peace and sustainable development in Africa.

4.  Both sides called on the international community to pay greater attention to and increase the investment for peace, security and development in Africa, and urged developed countries to honor their commitments to provide aid, transfer technologies and support capacity building of African countries and earnestly support African countries to tackle the current difficulties and challenges in peace,security and development affairs.

5.  The African side acclaimed China’s commitment to developing the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, and expressed its gratitude for the efforts of relevant Chinese departments to successfully arrange this pragmatic and fruitful Coordinators’ Meeting.