Significant, sustained progress made in China-Africa ties within cooperation framework: AU chairperson

Abstract : Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has said that "significant and sustained" progress has been made in China-Africa ties.

Containers are seen at the new container terminal in Walvis Bay, Namibia, Aug. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Yu)

“With
China, significant and sustained progress has been made within the
framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation,” Chairperson of the
African Union  Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat said.

ADDIS
ABABA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) — Chairperson of the African Union (AU)
Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has said that “significant and sustained”
progress has been made in China-Africa ties.

“With
China, significant and sustained progress has been made within the
framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC),” Mahamat
said in an analysis of his first-term AU Commission chairmanship
published on Tuesday.

Photo
taken on Sept. 22, 2020 shows facilities at the BGI Ethiopia COVID-19
test kit factory in the Bole Lemi industrial park on the outskirts of
Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Wang Shoubao)

He
reiterated the AU Commission’s strong commitment to upholding
multilateralism and supporting international partners in halting the
trend of unilateralism.

“Africa
stands with those who fight unilateralism and strongly advocate for a
multilateralism of respect, equality and mutual benefit,” he said.

Last month, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Amira Elfadil also hailed China as a strategic partner of Africa.

“We
are looking for those who are serious about the future of this
continent, and when we say strategic partners and mention strategic
partnerships, China comes first and we appreciate this partnership very
much,” Elfadil said.

Members
of Namibia’s COVID-19 pandemic task team attend a video consultation
conference with Chinese medical experts in Windhoek, Namibia, April 14,
2020. (Photo by Musa C Kaseke/Xinhua)

Meanwhile,
Mahamat warned in his analysis that global challenges, national egoism,
the decline of multilateralism, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and
dwindling resources “have hampered our forward march” during the past
four years.

He
said that if he is re-elected, renewing the AU Commission’s strategic
partnerships with bilateral and multilateral partners is one of the
major aspirations.

“International cooperation and solidarity are irreplaceable,” he said.

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Source: Significant, sustained progress made in China-Africa ties within cooperation framework: AU chairperson