Ethiopia to Host Next China-Africa ForumChina and African countries agreed Thursday that the next Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will be held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to facilitate the follow-up actions of the forum.At a consultative meeting on follow-up actions of the forum, which was first opened in Beijing last year, the two sides agreed that the forum will be convened once every three years, in a bid to review the implementation of the forum's documents. "The follow-up to the forum is a matter for both sides," said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Yang Wenchang at the meeting. "Only through our joint efforts can we ensure the forum play its due role and become an effectively operating mechanism that can help us achieve substantial progress in China-Africa friendly cooperation in the new century," Yang said. Speaking on the same occasion, Zambian Foreign Minister Keli Walubita reaffirmed the importance of the forum, adding that the complex challenges of the African Union will only be met with the help of partnerships between the continent and countries like China. According to the minister, Africa still faces development challenges such as poverty, disease, illiteracy and weak transport and communication linkages. Walubita praised China for true partnership, which fully respects the cardinal principles of sovereign equality of states and mutual benefits. Zambian President Frederick Chiluba was among the four African heads of state who last year attended the Beijing China-Africa Forum. |
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