AU hails partnership, cooperation with China

Updated: August 17, 2018 Source: Xinhua News Agency
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The African Union (AU) has forged a strong partnership with China through cooperation on many areas, a senior AU official has said.

On behalf of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Amira Elfadil, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, said China and Africa have been enjoying a long-standing relationship.

The official made the remarks after she received the credentials of the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to AU, Liu Yuxi, on Thursday at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

"China-Africa relationship is not a new relationship; what we have here on the level of the African Union Commission is a strong partnership with the government of China," said the Commissioner.

She noted that the partnership covers all important areas, including political area, peace and security, economic development, investment, infrastructure and energy, public health partnership as well as in the development and establishment of Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

"This (China-Africa) partnership is one of the strongest partnerships we have at the African Union level; we have projects that we are now implementing. We have follow-up mechanism for this partnership," she said.

Recalling that the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, made a successful visit to China in February, the Commissioner said Mahamat would lead a high-level delegation of the pan-African bloc to participate in the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing next month.

The newly appointed Chinese ambassador to AU, Liu Yuxi, told Xinhua that he would endeavor to further promote the friendship and cooperation forged between China and Africa.

Reiterating that China and Africa are good friends, good partners, and good brothers, the ambassador said the two sides have been enjoying fruitful results of their cooperation.

"China highly appreciates the important role of the AU in the field of peace and security and China also highly appreciates the friendly relation and cooperation between China and AU; and it is willing to further promote this cooperation," he said.

He also called for concerted efforts to enhance cooperation via the Belt and Road Initiative and achieve win-win cooperation goals.

Editor: Dong Ping