Roundup: China's efforts in promoting Asian-African cooperation hailed as constructive

Delegates participating in an Asian-African summit said on Wednesday that China's efforts in promoting Asian-African cooperation have contributed to peace, stability and prosperity of the two continents.

Addressing the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Asian and African nations to carry forward the Bandung Spirit and work together to promote the building of a community of common destiny for all mankind.

The Chinese president put forward a three-point proposal on realizing that grand vision in line with the time-honored Bandung Spirit. He also said China will provide 100,000 training opportunities for developing nations in Asia and Africa in the coming five years, and a total of 2,000 Asian and African young men and women will be invited to visit China and attend a series of youth get-togethers.

Jawad Al-Chlaihawi, head of the Iraqi delegation to the event in Jakarta, called the pragmatic efforts of China very constructive.

"We hope more participation of China in the world, especially in our region," Jawad said, adding that Iraq and China have conducted close cooperation in education, and China has made remarkable contribution to Iraq in the fields of economy and health care.

Jawad also spoke highly of the China-proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. "This bank is an elevation of world finance. I hope, with this bank, we have more cooperation. We considered this creation very important for the complimentary for financial system."

Commenting on China's contributions to Asia and Africa's development, Ugandan Foreign Minister Henry Oryem Okello said China has always respected Asian and African countries' sovereignty and independence, and supported these countries in infrastructure development.

"Sovereignty, independence are important for us. Western countries support us with conditions. This is the great difference between Chinese and Western assistance," he said.

Samuel Stevquoah, chief of staff for the office of Liberia's vice president, said he highly appreciated the China's provision of training opportunities for developing nations in Asia and Africa.

"The Chinese government will help train the Asian and African youth. This is very important for us. We always look for opportunity to build the youth's capacity and make them stronger," he said.

Stevquoah also admired China, the world's second biggest economy, for its remarkable development pace. "It is a good example for African countries. China has already offered us a lot, like leadership, experience and investment. African countries will benefit a lot from Asia-Africa cooperation," he stressed.

On the contributions that China can make in cooperation with developing countries, Joseph Ma'ahanua, a foreign affairs official of Solomon Islands, said China has a lot to offer as a global player.

He said the announcement of training opportunities that China is about to offer is very positive, and will help a large number of developing countries.

"There is clearly more room for Asian-African cooperation in many areas, but for the subsequent action, it should be one step at a time. I think the announcement itself is a good start ... (It was) made in a way that serves as a platform for more practice to come," Ma'ahanua said.

The Asian-African Summit opened in the Indonesian capital Wednesday as part of a series of events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference. The two-day summit is aimed at strengthening South-South cooperation to promote world peace and prosperity. Endi