Full Text: Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao's speech at the opening ceremony of the 4th China-Africa People's Forum (2)
Xinhua, August 27, 2015 Adjust font size:
First, we must strengthen people-to-people friendship and mutual support. Despite the vast seas separating China and Africa, the friendship between our people dates back to ancient times. In the 15th century, the famous Chinese sea navigator Zheng He twice led a fleet to the east coast of Africa, sowing the seeds of friendship between the people of China and Africa. In recent years, people-to-people relations between China and Africa have grown closer. More than one million Chinese people are living in Africa and also more than one million Chinese tourists visit the continent every year. More and more African people are doing business and studying in China. Yiwu alone has over 3,000 resident African businessmen. When disasters hit, the Chinese and African people would share each other's feelings and extend helping hands. In the aftermath of the earthquakes in Wenchuan and Yushu, our African friends were among the first to express condolences and provide help. After Ebola broke out in west Africa, China sent more than 1,000 doctors and nurses to the affected areas to help contain the epidemic, and provided aid worth some $150 million. Just as friends and families grow closer through exchanges, the fraternal affection between the people of China and Africa that bonds us together in times of difficulties must also be strengthened. I hope the two sides can well implement exchange programs between trade unions, youth and women organizations, businesses and NGOs under the framework of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to strengthen the bonds of friendship. We encourage more Chinese investors and tourists to go to Africa, and make contribution to Africa's development. We welcome more African friends to China for business or studies, for they will promote exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. I hope that events such as the China-Africa Young Leaders' Forum will be further developed, and the number of exchange students and visits increased, to groom more young people to carry forward the China-Africa friendship.
Second, we must step up cooperation for the people to address their needs and bring them real benefits. Development in the contemporary sense is inclusive development that addresses the needs of people. In China-Africa cooperation, people's livelihood should be considered more so as to benefit our people more. I remember on one of my visits to Africa, I inaugurated a well drilled by China. When sweet water spurted from the well, all Africa friends cheered in a tremendous joy, and thanked the Chinese people for bringing them water of life and water of sunshine, and I felt so strongly about African people's longing for better, happier life. At present, most of China's aid to Africa is used to improve people's life. Some 100,000 jobs are created by the 2,500 Chinese companies operating in Africa. While visiting Tanzania in 2014, I went to a Dong'ao Garment Factory invested by a Chinese company from Jiangsu Province, which employs over 1,000 young Tanzanian women. China-Africa cooperation should invest more financial and human capital in areas that directly relate to people's livelihood, such as poverty reduction, agriculture, public health, clean water, and disaster prevention and mitigation, to bring the African people tangible benefits. It is important to give fish, but more important to teach how to fish. We are willing to unreservedly share our development experience, advanced technologies and know-hows with the African people. We will work actively for the implementation of the "African talents program" by spreading management experience and organizing vocational skills training, so as to help translate Africa's advantage in rich human resources into an advantage in development, and enhance Africa's self-development capabilities.
Third, we must increase private-sector investment for win-win results and common development. Africa today is experiencing rapid industrialization, and has urgent needs for foreign investment in areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, energy and resources, as well as industries and production capacities that suit the African countries' development stage. As the Chinese economy enters a new normal, China is making great efforts for the transformation and upgrading of its industrial mix. Many of China's advantageous industries and their capacities need to be transferred overseas. The main resources of these transferable industries lie in the private sector. After development over the three decades since Reform and Opening Up, Chinese private companies now boast strong investment capacity, and well-developed know-hows and management experience. Upholding principles of "sincerity, real results, amity and good faith," China actively promotes equal mutually-benefiting, friendly and win-win cooperation with Africa, and requests all companies that transfer industries to Africa to insist on win-win cooperation and a right approach to interests and principles. China's investment stock in Africa stands at $30 billion, but there is still huge untapped potential in investment in Africa, especially in the private sector. Last year, I attended the second China-Tanzanian Investment Forum together with representatives of some 50 Chinese private companies, which was organized by the China-Africa Business Council to seek investment opportunities in Tanzania. The Chinese government encourages private capital and businesses to "go global," so as to accelerate the transfer of industries through partnerships and innovation. We hope African countries create a sound environment with rule of law, preferential policies, honest conducts and friendly public opinions, step up infrastructure building, and attract Chinese private investors for win-win results and common development.(mo