Senior AU official praises China-Africa cooperation as exemplary

Senior official of the African Union (AU) hails China-Africa partnership in various areas as exemplary for international cooperation.

Kwesi Quarty, deputy chair of the AU Commission, made the remarks on Wednesday when meeting with the Chinese delegation led by Zhang Wufeng, head of China's National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, during which the two sides agreed to increase bilateral cooperation on food safety and security.

He said the cooperation between Africa and China in political, economic and other areas have significantly contributed to peaceful development for both sides.

Describing China's help as "selfless," Quarty said Africa's cooperation with China "has provided us in Africa greater strategic options and that by itself has improved the nature of our cooperation."

The cooperation has "contributed a great deal to the peaceful development of the two continents and has become a bedrock which the rest of international cooperation develops," he said, "So, our cooperation with China is exemplary."

Quarty also called for the cooperation and partnership to be further strengthened and expanded.

AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Amira Elfadil, who represented the AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture and led the AU delegation during the talks with the Chinese side, said, "The AU commission values this partnership and cooperation between the government of China and the African Union."

She voiced AU's keen interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation in the areas of food safety and security, including food quality and post-harvest management.

"We are delighted to partner with NAFRA (China's National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration) in the areas of food safety and quality, and post-harvest management," she noted.

According to her, the cooperation is expected to improve Africa's nutrition situation through safer and higher-quality food, to increase food security by reducing the post-harvest loss that is common for much of the staple food in Africa, and to increase food trade within and beyond the region.