By Chinese Foreign Ministry
The Coordinators’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) concluded successfully on 18 August 2022. The meeting unanimously adopted this Joint Statement, which reads as follows:
To jointly advance the implementation of the follow-up actions of the Eighth FOCAC Ministerial Conference, Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Aïssata Tall Sall, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad of the Republic of Senegal, Téte António, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola, Paluku Kahongya Julien, Minister of Industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Omar Keti, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation and Organizations of the State of Libya, Candith Mashego-Dlamini, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, and Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission held a meeting via video link on 18 August 2022.
Both the Chinese and African sides highly acclaimed the outcomes of the Eighth FOCAC Ministerial Conference held in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, from 29 to 30 November 2021, and applauded “the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation” and the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era put forward by President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China at the opening ceremony, and the nine programs of China-Africa cooperation that he announced. Both sides applauded the roadmap for strengthening China-Africa relationship in the spirit of friendship, unity, trust, and respect put forward by President Macky Sall of the Republic of Senegal, co-chair of FOCAC. Recalling the Dakar Declaration, the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035, the Declaration on China-Africa Cooperation on Combating Climate Change, and the Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024) adopted at the ministerial conference, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to jointly implementing the outcomes of the ministerial conference to promote new and greater achievements in China-Africa cooperation and build a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. The two sides have agreed on the following:
1. Both sides commend the initiative by China and Senegal, co-chairs of the FOCAC, to hold this Coordinators’ Meeting, and welcome a large number of important outcomes made by the two sides as major early harvest following the Eighth FOCAC Ministerial Conference. Both sides will continue to implement the nine programs and the follow-up actions of the Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024) in an orderly and efficient manner to enhance the quality and performance of China-Africa cooperation and benefit more Chinese and African people.
2. The Chinese side extends warm congratulations to the African Union (AU) on its 20th anniversary, applauds the important and steady achievements made by the AU over the past two decades in leading African countries to seek strength through unity and pursue development and rejuvenation, and commends the AU for coordinating Africa’s efforts in responding to COVID-19, maintaining regional peace and security, and defending the common interests of developing countries, which demonstrates the strength of solidarity in Africa. Taking the 20th anniversary of the founding of the AU and the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the AU as an opportunity, the two sides will continue to align Chinese engagement with the AU’s Agenda 2063 flagship projects and frameworks while engage bilaterally, in order to elevate China-AU relations and China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership to a new level.
3. Both sides reaffirm their strong commitment to upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the UN-centered international system, including the primary responsibility of the UN Security Council for maintaining international peace and security, and the international order underpinned by international law, to practising true multilateralism, advancing democracy in international relations and upholding equality among all countries regardless of their size, strength and wealth, and to opposing unilateralism, power politics, racial discrimination, the formation of opposing blocs, and division and confrontation.
Both sides reaffirm their unwavering support to each other in upholding territorial integrity, sovereignty, security and development interests, and reaffirm that there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The African side reaffirms its commitment to the one-China principle, and its support for China’s national reunification and China’s efforts to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Chinese side supports the 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in adopting the Resolution on the Impact of Sanctions and Unilateral Coercive Measures on African Union Member States, strongly condemns the practice by any country to impose economic and political pressure on others through unilateral coercive measures, and urges for lifting of these measures that violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
4. Both sides agree that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic poses serious challenge to global economic recovery and the implementation of FOCAC outcomes. The African side expresses its appreciation to China for having actively and efficiently provided vaccines to African countries and the AU Commission since the onset of the pandemic, which has offered important support for Africa to enhance its COVID response. Both sides reaffirm their support for waiving intellectual property rights of COVID-19 vaccines, and will continue to cooperate on vaccine joint production and other COVID-response measures, complete the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters as soon as possible, and deepen cooperation on the prevention and control of infectious diseases. The African side understands and supports China’s dynamic zero-COVID policy.
5. Noting that the world is facing growing security challenges, both sides reiterate their condemnation of all forms of terrorism and violent extremism. The Chinese side supports the African side in implementing the Silencing the Guns initiative, expresses congratulations on the success of the AU’s Extraordinary Summit held in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, on 28 May 2022, supports African people in solving African issues in the African way, and upholds the indivisibility of security among African countries. Both sides reaffirm their commitment to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.The Chinese side calls on the international community to provide financial and technical support to counter-terrorism operations led by Africa in accordance with the mechanisms of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).
The African side welcomes and supports the Global Security Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping, and believes that the Initiative provides approaches and pathways for the world to address challenges in security, development and governance. Both sides commend the initiatives proposed by President Macky Sall during his rotating AU Chairmanship on issues including economic recovery in Africa, the reallocation of Special Drawing Rights, food sovereignty, health sovereignty and medicine sovereignty, energy transition, and global governance reform.The African side commends the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa put forward by China, and welcomes the convening of the Horn of Africa Peace, Good Governance and Development Conference.
6. Reaffirming commitment to further advancing the institutionbuilding of FOCAC, both sides express readiness to leverage the role of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of FOCAC, and welcome the efforts by the African side to establish and improve the mechanism for implementing follow-up actions, so as to jointly advance the nine programs of China-Africa cooperation. Nation-specific pools of projects to be implemented will be set up, and implementation and evaluation of follow-up actions should be strengthened to ensure efficient, results-oriented and smooth implementation of FOCAC outcomes.
Both sides will continue to fight COVID-19 with solidarity, deepen practical cooperation, promote green development, uphold equity and justice, and synergize China-Africa high quality Belt and Road cooperation and the Global Development Initiative with AU’s Agenda 2063 and national development strategies of African countries, in order to elevate China-Africa cooperation to higher levels.
Both sides will further strengthen coordination and collaboration, and keep expanding cooperation areas. While strengthening traditional areas of cooperation such as infrastructure, investment and financing, agriculture, manufacturing and telecommunication, both sides will deepen cooperation in new fields including energy, digital economy, health, marine economy, vocational education, and women and youth development. Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) will be encouraged to help Africa realize industrialization and enhance its status in the global industrial and supply chains. The Chinese side supports efforts to help Africa become self-sufficient in food through such ways as financing and partnering with the private sector, and will promote technology transfer to support Africa in developing its economy, boosting employment and reducing poverty. Both sides support investment and financing for gas-to-power projects. The Chinese side will actively support the development of the AfCFTA, share its own experience in developing free trade zones, increase Africa’s export to China through ways such as opening “green lanes” for agricultural products, providing tariff preferences for least developed countries (LDCs), and engaging in live streaming sales, and keep expanding the size and improving facilitation of China-Africa trade. Both sides are ready to pay attention to the particularity and vulnerability of Small Island States in the implementation of follow-up actions.
The Chinese side firmly supports Africa’s in-depth participation in the activities of G20, BRICS and other platforms and greater role in global governance and international affairs.
7. Both sides support relevant parties to address the Ukraine crisis through peaceful negotiation, and call on the international community not to level down support and input to Africa because of the Ukraine issue, but to actively help African countries address food security, climate change, energy crisis and other global issues. The two sides urge the international community to take seriously Africa’s concerns on expanding development financing and promoting economic recovery, accelerate the channelling of Special Drawing Rights, in a bid to help Africa achieve independent and sustainable development.
8. The African side expresses its appreciation to the Chinese side for successfully organizing this Coordinators’ Meeting.
