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Xi expresses sympathy to Africa over outbreak

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent messages of sympathy and support to the presidents of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia respectively, over the deaths in the three African countries from the Ebola disease.

In the messages sent to his Guinean counterpart Alpha Conde, Sierra Leone President Ernest Koroma and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Aug 10, Xi expressed sympathy for the massive human and economic losses caused by the outbreak, and that he appreciated the governments' efforts to fight against the epidemic.

The Chinese president said that China is willing to support the three countries in containing the spread of the virus.

Xi said that at this difficult time the Chinese government and people stand together with the governments and peoples of the three nations, and are willing to offer anti-epidemic supplies.

Calling China and Africa good brothers, friends and partners, Xi said the Chinese government and people will never forget that African people always extend timely support and assistance whenever Chinese encounter difficulties.

The Chinese leader also called on the international community to take immediate action and provide assistance to the nations affected, so that that they can overcome the epidemic and restore normal life.

All set for Nanjing Youth Olympics

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to join President Xi Xinping at the opening ceremony of the 12-day Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Aug 16.

Also expected to attend at Xi's invitation will be Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, Fiji President Epeli Nailatikau, Maldives President Abdulla Yameen, Montenegro President Filip Vujanovic, Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Vanuatu Prime Minister Joe Natuman, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.

The Youth Olympic Games, the brainchild of former International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, are for athletes age 14 to 18.

China calls for support for Great Lakes region

The international community should help countries in the African Great Lakes region to realize their full potential, a Chinese envoy to the UN said Aug 7.

"The Great Lakes region is endowed with rich resources and an enormous development potential," Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN told a Security Council meeting, noting the international community should help countries in the region to resolve their major issues, such as poverty.

Liu said that since the beginning of the year, the situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for instance, had improved, as the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Eastern DRC and the Region was gradually implemented.

The Great Lakes sub-region has been plagued for decades by political instability, armed conflict, porous borders and humanitarian crises, along with tensions over natural resources and other destabilizing factors.

To help the region achieve sustainable peace, stability and development, Liu said that the international community should focus on its security, and on creating better, mutually beneficial economic conditions.

"The international community should encourage the countries concerned to resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation," he said.

The envoy said China attaches great importance to its ties with Africa and would continue to support the continent in its efforts to resolve its own issues.

"We will implement the Initiative on China-Africa Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Security in a thorough manner, and increase our support for the construction of a collective security mechanism in Africa," he said.

Chinese film fans mourn Williams

Tributes poured in from Chinese film lovers on Aug 12 after the death of US actor and comedian Robin Williams at his home in California. The 63-year-old committed suicide.

On Sina Weibo alone, 30 million comments had been made.

Due to the language barrier, Williams was not well-known in China for his signature rapid-fire and manic delivery of comedy.

Even though Good Morning, Vietnam and Mrs. Doubtfire are widely available in the country, it is his dramatic roles in Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting that endeared him to Chinese filmgoers.

On Chinese social networks, "O Captain! My captain!" a reference to the Walt Whitman poem that Williams' character uses in Dead Poets Society became the theme for shared mourning.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/15/2014 page2)