Jiang Appeals to Promote Sino-African TiesVisiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin said Tuesday that China hopes to further its ties with the African countries by hosting a ministerial-level meeting on Sino-African cooperation this October in Beijing.The meeting, called the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation--Ministerial Conference Beijing 2000, is the first of its kind both in the annals of Sino-African relations and in the 50-year diplomatic history of China, said Jiang during his talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki. Jiang cited the holding of the conference as an important measure China adopts in the new millennium to consolidate the Sino-African friendly cooperation. China will invite ministers in charge of foreign affairs and foreign economic cooperation and trade from African countries to participate in the conference, Jiang said. He hoped South Africa, an important African country, to attend the conference to make it a success and lay new foundation for the further advancement of the bilateral ties. Mbeki said in response that his country is looking forward to the convening of the meeting, and will dispatch a delegation to attend the forum. The conference will help the African countries resolve some of their problems and boost the ties between Africa and China, he noted. He added that all African countries would like to consolidate ties with China because China has not only stood on their side during their struggle against the colonialism, but also helped them in the construction of their countries after they gained independence. |
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