IN BRIEF (Page 2)

S. Africa to champion agenda at summit

South African President Jacob Zuma said on Sept 15 that South Africa will try to ensure implementation of policy positions agreed upon by the continent during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in December.

"During our tenure as co-chair of the FOCAC, South Africa will continue to ensure that principles of South-South cooperation are realized and that special attention is given to assisting the implementation of the African Union's Agenda 2063," Zuma told foreign ambassadors and high commissioners at a briefing on South African foreign policy in Pretoria.

Agenda 2063 is Africa's ambitious blueprint that seeks to empower women, boost industrialization and economically develop the continent.

As co-chair of FOCAC for 2012-2018, South Africa will host the FOCAC Summit in Johannesburg. It will be the second FOCAC Summit since 2006 and the first on the African continent. The summit, Dec 4 to 5, will be preceded by a meeting of senior officials on Dec 2, and the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of FOCAC on Dec 3.

Boko Haram's end in sight, Nigeria says

With the renewed commitment of the military leadership and the determination of the troops, the end to Boko Haram's insurgency is imminent in Nigeria, an official said on Sept 15.

Defense headquarters spokesman Colonel Rabe Abubakar said coordination between the Nigerian Air Force and the army has uprooted Boko Haram insurgents from their strongholds, including their camps in Sambisa forest. Abubakar spoke at a news briefing in Abuja.

Nigerian troops recorded another triumph that same day when they rescued a dozen women and children kidnapped by the insurgents in the northeast. Troops cleared all known terrorist camps in the area of the Banki, Kumshe and Bama axis in the Nigerian state of Borno, further securing a "very important bridge linking the towns of Miyanti and Banki" said a statement by the Nigerian army."The clearance by ground troops and aerial bombardments by the Nigerian Air Force continues till we reach the desired objective of defeating the terrorists," the statement added.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, on an official visit to France, where he was seeking the support of the French government in the fight against Boko Haram, ordered military chiefs to crush the terror group by December.

Chinese leaders meet Mauritanian president

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met in Beijing on Sept 15 with visiting Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, and called for joint efforts to enhance capacity cooperation through building steel and cement plants.

China is ready to improve cooperation with Mauritania in animal product processing and exploitation of marine fisheries, he said.

Aziz said improving people's livelihoods is an important guarantee of regional peace and stability. He expressed his hope to learn from China's experience, and further enhance bilateral cooperation in such areas as electricity, mining, agriculture and renewable energy.

China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang also met with Aziz. Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, pledged to boost cooperation between the NPC and the Mauritania's parliament, and share governance experience.

Aziz also attended the opening ceremony of the China-Arab States Expo held in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region in Northwest China.

Chinese ceramics to be shown in Nigeria

China is set to strengthen its ties with Nigeria by enhancing cultural relations between the two countries, an official says.

Yan Xiangdong, the director of Chinese Cultural Center, spoke at a news conference to announce the 2015 China-Nigeria Exchange Exhibition of ceramic arts and culture in Abuja.

"In order to further deepen bilateral friendship between the two countries, this exhibition takes porcelain as the bond to fully show the artistic charm of Chinese ceramics," Yan said.

The program was also to celebrate the second year of the establishment of the Chinese Cultural Center in Nigeria, he said.

The 15-day exhibition was expected to start on Sept 18. Highlights are to include ceramic works by artists of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China. The ceramic works include porcelain jars, plates and sculptures. Similar exhibitions are expected to be held in Lagos and Ibadan at later dates.

China donates $1.2m for peace in Somalia

The African Union has expressed its appreciation for China's strategic partnership for peace in Africa as China donated $1.2 million to help promote peace in Somalia, a senior AU official said.

AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui and head of China's Permanent Mission to AU Kuang Weilin signed a grant agreement at AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa formalizing China's donation to support the AU Mission in Somalia.

The AU commissioner thanked the Chinese government for the grant and recalled that in September 2014, China donated $2 million to support the AU's efforts to fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Chergui also said in January 2015, China again donated $1.2 million to the AU Peace Fund.

"This latest grant will help enhance the heroic efforts of Africa's soldiers for peace in Somalia," he said.

Ties with Iran to be upgraded

China and Iran agreed on Sept 15 to start reconciliation for the establishment of a bilateral strategic partnership, at a time when China is expected to play a bigger role in boosting Iran's development.

Following talks between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sept 15 morning, the two top diplomats confirmed at a news conference that there are plans to upgrade the relationship.

The July signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action over Iran's nuclear program was a landmark event for the Middle Eastern country, which has long suffered from sanctions.

Zarif told reporters that China is a friend indeed, and that "when Iran has had a difficult time", Chinese companies have maintained collaboration, adding that Iran is ready to "embark on more strategic cooperation with China".

Eight regions chosen as innovation zones

China aims to build a long-term mechanism that could spur innovation and drive economic growth.

The State Council has chosen eight regions, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, Shanghai, and Guangdong province as pilot zones to carry out trials on innovation and reform.

Li Pumin, spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission, told a news conference on Sept 15 that these regions have been asked to map out detailed proposals for innovation reform in the fourth quarter.

The regions have been asked to build a long-term mechanism for promoting innovation and making breakthroughs in promoting fair competition, intellectual property, scientific achievement and financial innovation, Li said.

Experiments will be carried out in these regions next year, and the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology will evaluate the performance.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/18/2015 page2)