AU to send ambassador to China: spokesperson

The African Union (AU) will send an ambassador to China to help promote bilateral ties, AU Commission spokesperson Jacob Enoh Eben said on Wednesday.

The dispatch of the ambassador, whose name was not given, will be a boost to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the AU and China, the spokesperson told Xinhua.

He said that after the signing of the MOU in January 2015, China appointed an ambassador to the AU and now it's AU's turn to send an ambassador to China.

"An decision has been taken to appoint an ambassador to China, and he will be deployed very soon but the date has not been set," Eben said.

The decision was in light with the MOU the two sides have signed, he added.

The ambassador will be responsible for negotiations, representing the AU interest and help implement the signed MOU, Eben said.

AU wants China to help make AU's Agenda 2063 a reality, said Eben.

Eben said, "Our relations with China are excellent. This is identified with high level meetings the two have held. We want the best out of these excellent relations,"he said.

A month ago the AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma went to China to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Last week during the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the two met again.

Eben said China-Africa relations are anchored on the continental needs and priorities.

He said the partnership with China would help Africa out of poverty and accelerate economic growth.

China and Africa are also working together to ensure that peace and security prevail in Africa so that development can occur undisturbed, Eben said. Enditem