China's assistance to Africa sincere, without political conditions: Premier

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 16, 2003

China's assistance to Africa sincere, without political conditions: Premier

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Being a developing country itself, China provides assistance to African countries with the deepest sincerity and without any political conditions, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday in Addis Ababa.

"It is our firm belief that support and help between countries are mutual, and we will never forget the invaluable support China has received from African countries over the years in our endeavors to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Wen at the opening ceremony of the second ministerial conference of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum

Thanks to more than 20 years of reform and opening-up, China has made a historic breakthrough in economic development and aggregate national strength.

The Chinese people as a whole are living a better life, said the Chinese premier.

However, China has a huge population of 1.3 billion, and even though its total economic volume is among the largest in the world, in per capita terms, it is still quite low.

China is a big country with uneven development and relatively low overall productivity level, said Wen. "We still have a long way to go before the goal of modernization is accomplished."

"Against such background, the assistance China can provide to African countries is limited. However, we do offer our assistance with the deepest sincerity and without any political conditions," Wen said.

He said China will continue to urge the international community to help African countries settle conflicts, participate in UN peacekeeping operations in Africa and provide assistance to the peacekeeping efforts by African regional organizations.

Wen said Africa and China share a common interest in the further democratization of international relations. This should be achieved through more intense consultations, Wen added.

He called on developing countries to meet the challenges of globalization together. Developed countries, for their part, should take up their obligations to developing countries by eliminating trade barriers and farm subsides.

Under the framework of the forum, China will increase its aid to Africa, further open its domestic market and grant duty-free market access to some commodities from the least developed countries, Wen said.

For example, China will increase its investment in the Africa Human Resources Development Fund by 33 per cent and provide professional training to 10,000 African personnel in the next three years, Wen said.

To accelerate tourism co-operation with Africa, China will grant eight more African countries, including Kenya and Zimbabwe, approved destination status for outbound Chinese tourists, Wen disclosed.

Wen's host counterpart Meles Zenawi and a dozen of African heads of state or government attended the opening ceremony of the second ministerial conference of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, also present are Chinese and African foreign ministers and ministers in charge of international economic cooperation.

Highlighted by the action-oriented spirit, it is the first ministerial conference of the forum to be held on the African continent, and will be a significant event in the Sino-African relationship.

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