Dialogue brings local officials face to face

Shandong Province a big winner as it hosts Chinese and African local government heads

Eleven agreements and letters of intent have been signed between Shandong province in East China and African local governments, covering infrastructure projects, minerals and agriculture.

They were signed at the second China-Africa Dialogue between Governors and Mayors held in the province's capital, Jinan, last week. The dialogue is affiliated to the forum on cooperation among local governments from China and Africa, first held in Beijing last year and due to take place again next year.

Jean Ping, the former African Union Commission chairman, said the dialogue was a precious opportunity for cooperation between local governments from China and Africa.

"The African countries, which strongly desire development and vast potential for it, now have great development opportunities," Ping said at the opening ceremony of the dialogue, which was attended by 300 delegates, including 100 from 19 African countries.

Born in 1942 to a Chinese trader and a Gabonese woman, Ping served as the chairman of the commission between 2008 and 2012, in effect the highest civil service role in Africa. He said China and Africa boast a great friendship, which has promoted cultural and economic cooperation.

Since Changsha in Hunan province and Brazzaville in Congo became sister cities in 1982, 114 pairs of sister cities have been established between cities in China and Africa, greatly promoting cultural and economic development.

Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce show trade between China and Africa rose 28 percent a year, from less than $20 billion a decade ago to $198.5 billion last year.

China has been the largest trade partner for Africa since 2009, with direct investment in Africa reaching $20 billion last year. More than 2,000 Chinese enterprises have invested there, making Africa the second-largest market for overseas project contracts and the fourth-largest market for overseas investments for China.

Ping said President Xi Jinping's visit to Africa in March opened a new era of cooperation between China and Africa. During the visit, an agreement to build a production base for home appliances in South Africa was signed.

"The base started production this month," Chi Jianxin, chairman of the China-Africa Development Fund, said at the dialogue in Jinan. "It is expected to produce 400,000 televisions and 400,000 refrigerators a year."

The China-Africa Development Fund was one of eight major initiatives to help African development announced at the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006.

The fund promised investment of $2 billion covering 60 projects in 30 African countries, said Chi.

As governor of Shandong, the host province for the dialogue, Guo Shuqing hopes to expand cooperation with African countries.

"Shandong has long highlighted cooperation with African countries," Guo said. "In coming years we hope to seek more cooperation in a wide range of areas, including education, healthcare and cultural exchange."

Shandong's department of commerce says trade between the province and Africa was worth $12.1 billion last year, a year-on-year increase of 19.5 percent. Shandong has set up 37 organizations and branches in 15 African countries, involving investment of $142 million.

"There is still a lot of room for more cooperation between Shandong and Africa," says Liu Yuan, director of Shandong provincial office of foreign affairs.

"Last year the trade volume with Africa accounted for only 4.9 percent of Shandong's total foreign trade."

By the end of last year, combined African investment in Shandong reached $1.04 billion, accounting for 0.8 percent of the total amount of foreign-invested capital in the province, Liu said. Meanwhile, the province invested $2.72 billion in Africa, 22.9 percent of the province's total in foreign countries.

Robert Mambe, the head of District D in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, said he hopes to improve cooperation with Shandong in infrastructure construction, material processing, e-commerce and environmental protection, and to increase cultural exchanges.

Jose Ulisses de Pina Correia E. Silva, mayor of Praia, capital of Cape Verde, says it would like to establish a Confucius school.

Liu says that the Shandong government will encourage more cities to develop both cultural and economic relationships with African cities.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa 07/05/2013 page20)