The strategic partnership between China and Africa promotes
human rights and benefits the world, a senior official from the
continent said yesterday, countering "negative and tainted" reports
in some quarters.
He said it was "absolutely not true" to label African leaders
attending the summit as "dictators seeking a new homeland in China"
and "shunning their responsibilities on human rights" as was
reported in some Western media.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin told a press
conference: "Should we be painted in this dimension? Absolutely
not."
The foreign ministers of China, Ethiopia and Egypt jointly
addressed the news conference at the end of the two-day Beijing
Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Egypt will succeed Ethiopia as the co-chair of the next forum in
2009.
"The meaning (of the partnership) is promoting Africa's
development, scoring success in fighting poverty, overcoming the
predicament the Africa countries face today, and also enhancing
Chinese development," he said, adding that the partnership also
serves to promote human values including human rights.
"Is not the right to development a human rights issue? It is a
pillar of the human rights issue.
"Is not the right to education a human rights issue? Indeed, it
is a pillar of the human rights issue," he said.
In improving the partnership, "we will tackle problems and
challenges including governance of the economy, governance of
politics, and governance of relations with other partners,
including North-South dialogue."
"It is also a predicable partnership, where one can count on
another with no political strings or serving only the interests of
one of the parties."
The foreign minister appealed to the media to convey that the
objective of the forum is not only a win-win partnership for China
and African countries, but also for the global family.
The peaceful development of China and Africa will surely benefit
the world, Seyoum said.
Commenting on the negative Western media reports, Foreign
Minister Li Zhaoxing said he was certain the writers did not
capture the essence of the principles of peaceful coexistence or
the UN Charter.
"Therefore, they find it difficult to understand the spirit and
importance of China-Africa cooperation," he said.
Despite being a developing country and having to tackle its own
challenges, China has been providing assistance to "our brothers
and sisters in Africa to the best of our ability," he said.
The minister also said China respects the choices of African
countries and will not impose its mode of development.
If some African countries build economic zones, China will
discuss with the countries and collaborate with them based on the
principle of mutual benefit.
"We are committed to improving the lives of people in Africa and
China. Our cooperation is not designed against, nor does it
exclude, any third country," he said.
He reiterated that China would not pursue monopoly of oil
resources in Africa.
China itself generates more than 90 per cent of its energy
needs. Its imports of crude oil, including those from
Africa, account for only 6 per cent of the total oil trade
volume in the world, Li said.
Energy cooperation, as part of Sino-African cooperation, is open
and transparent to the outside world; and abides by international
rules, he said.
Therefore, the criticism of China's energy policy in Africa is
unreasonable, he said.
The minister expressed the hope that the five African nations
that have no diplomatic relations with China will "take the right
stand" and support the one-China policy.
The five countries are Burkina Faso, Swaziland, Malawi, Gambia
and Sao Tome and Principe.
They were invited to send observers to the Beijing summit but
none of them did.
"The Chinese Government and people harbor friendly feelings to
people in those five countries," he said. "We never did them any
harm. On the contrary, it was their governments that hurt the
Chinese people's feelings."
By maintaining so-called "diplomatic ties" with the Chinese
island of Taiwan, these countries are isolating themselves from the
overwhelming majority of the international community, he said.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit said China's proposals on
China-Africa ties are important to the development of Africa,
especially in helping the continent secure peace and security.
(China Daily November 6, 2006)