Interview: AU official hails comprehensive China-Africa ties ahead of key FOCAC meeting

ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the African Union (AU) Commission has hailed the comprehensive Africa-China partnership across a range of areas, especially fruitful cooperation in healthcare, ahead of a key meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

"Thank you to the government of China for the excellent cooperation. Thank you to all those who are working behind the scenes on building a better and stronger relationship between China and Africa, between the government of China and the African Union Commission," AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development Amira Elfadil told Xinhua ahead of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC, slated for Nov. 29-30 in Senegal's capital Dakar.

She underscored that this year's edition of the FOCAC meeting comes days after the AU Commission marked the structural completion of the China-aided future headquarters of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), an essential part of the healthcare initiative adopted at the FOCAC Beijing Summit in September 2018.

"This celebration is happening just days before the FOCAC meeting. So, it is very good that these two very important events are taking place almost the same time," Elfadil said.

"We appreciate very much this commitment, this collaboration and the honoring of the commitment from China to the AU Commission, under the support we are getting within the area of health, especially to our Africa CDC," she said.

The AU commissioner, in particular, hailed the China-Africa partnership in the health sector as a testament to the win-win collaboration, which needs to be further strengthened.

"We would like it to continue for the future and to be a very positive partnership, looking to the health and wellbeing of all Africans and building this partnership in the area of health and health security and fighting pandemics," Elfadil said.

She commended the Chinese government as "a very committed and reliable partner" of the AU in its endeavors for the betterment of the African continent.

"We appreciate very much this partnership and we would like it to be a partnership for a better Africa and a prosperous Africa and part of fulfilling our dream for the Africa we want," Elfadil added.

A white paper released Friday by China's State Council Information Office said the upcoming FOCAC ministerial is expected to produce plans for friendly Sino-Africa cooperation in the next phase.

The white paper, titled "China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership of Equals," hailed the meeting as an important diplomatic event for China and Africa to discuss cooperation plans and promote common development, saying it will be of great importance in promoting post-pandemic economic recovery and development in Africa, China and the world at large.

Together the two sides will plan and discuss the outcomes to be adopted at the meeting regarding key areas including health, investment and trade, industrialization, agricultural modernization, climate change responses and digital economy, the white paper added.