December 18, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin presided over a regular press conference. A reporter asked, it is reported that the Chinese government and the African Union recently signed a cooperation plan for the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. Can you further introduce the specific situation?
Wang Wenbin said that recently, any Lifeng, the head of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, and Fa Ji, Chairman of the African Union Commission, jointly signed the Cooperation Plan between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the African Union on Jointly Promoting the Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Cooperation Plan is the first cooperation document signed by China and regional international organizations to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative. According to the arrangement, China will also establish a coordination mechanism with the African Union Commission for the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative to promote the implementation of the Cooperation Plan.
So far, China has signed 202 cooperation documents with 138 countries and 31 international organizations to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative. Among them, Africa is an important direction for participating in the Belt and Road cooperation.
44 African countries and the African Union have signed relevant cooperation documents with China, accounting for about one-third of the total number of countries that have signed such documents.
Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, a large number of projects such as the first phase of the Kenya Neima Railway, the Maputo Bridge in Mozambique, and the new container terminal at the Gulf Port of Walvis in Namibia have been completed one after another, which has effectively promoted the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and economic and social development of African countries. China has become Africa’s largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years and one of the main sources of investment in Africa.
China is willing to work with Africa to further promote the in-depth connection of the Belt and Road Initiative and the African Union Agenda 2063 and the development strategies of African countries, actively deepen practical cooperation between China and Africa in various fields, achieve common development through complementary advantages, and make greater contributions to the construction of a closer China-Africa community of destiny!
