Page 27 - Issue 9

Africa

XI chairs Africa

Summit, calls

for solidarity

to defeat

COVID-19 President Xi Jinping in virtual meeting with African leaders

resident Xi Jinping June 17, called experience via video link conferences. under heavy financial stress, China will
Pon China and Africa to defeat the work with the global community to give
novel coronavirus with solidarity and South African President Cyril them greater support, Xi said.
cooperation. The two sides should Ramaphosa said at the meeting that the Adding that:“China will work with other
work together to build a China- Africa summit “demonstrated the depth and members of G20 to implement the G20
community of health for all and take their resilience of solidarity between China Debt Service suspension initiative, and
comprehensive strategy and cooperative and Africa”. urged the G20 to extend debt service
partnership to a greater height. “Sino-Africa solidarity and better suspension still further for countries
Xi made the remarks in Beijing when multilateral cooperation is key to concerned, including those in Africa.
chairing the Extra-ordinary China- winning the battle on the pandemic”, he He further said China supports Africa
Africa summit of solidarity against said, calling on both sides to continue in its effort to develop the Africa
COVID-19 held via video link. The to strengthen the bind of solidarity and Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
summit was jointly initiated by China, take collective action to secure the future and to enhance connectivity, and
South Africa, the rotating co-chair of of humanity. strengthen industrial and supply chains.
the African Union (AU) and Senegal, Ramaphosa expressed the gratitude China will explore broader cooperation
the chair of the Forum on China-Africa of African people to Xi, the Chinese with Africa in search of new business
Cooperation (FOCAC).” China will lose government and the people for their economy, smart city, clean energy, and
not time in following through on the generous donations of personal 5G to boast Africa’s development and
measures it announced at the World protective equipment and other medical revitalization, said Xi.
Health Assembly, and continues to help assistance.
African countries by providing supplies, Describing the summit as “excellent Other African leaders who attended
sending expert teams and facilitating initiative”, the Senegalese President the summit include Egyptian President
Africa’s procurement of medical supplies Macky Sall, further saying in his speech Abdel-Fattah-al-Sisi, President of
in China. Xi said. that, leaders attending the meeting had the Democratic Republic of Congo,
He said China will start ahead of affirmed their aspiration to consolidate Felix Tshisekedi, Algerian President
Gabonese
Tebboune,
Abdelmadjid
schedule the construction of Africa the friendship between Africa and
CDC headquarters this year, working China. President Ali Bongo Ondimba and
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
with Africa to deliver the healthcare Sall also voice support for the role of
initiative adopted at the FOCAC Beijing the World Health Organization for Others were, Malian President Ibrahim
Summit, and spead up the construction coordinating the global response to the Boubacar Keita, Niger’s Mohamadou
of China-Africa Friendship Hospitals epidemic. Issoufou, Nigerian President Muhamadu
and cooperation between paired –up In his speech, Xi encouraged China and Buhari, President Paul Kagame of
Chinese and African hospitals. African countries to strengthen the Belt Rwanda, Zimbabwean President
“We pledge that once the development and Road cooperation and accelerate the Emmerson Mnangagwa, Ethiopian
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and
and deployment of COVID-19 vaccine follow up to the FOCAC Beijing summit. the Chairman of the African Union
is complete in China, African countries Adding that China will councel the debt Commission Moussa Faki Muhamat.
will be among the first to benefit,” Xi of relevant Africa countries in te form of
said. interest-free government loans that are The Secretary General of the United
So far, China has send to over 50 due to mature by the end of 2020 within Nations, Antonnio Gutterres and
the Director General of the World
countries and the AU their much the FOCAC framework. Health Organization, Tedros Adhanon
needed supplied and dispatched medical For those African countries that are Ghabreyesus attended the meeting as
experts, and shared its anti-epidemic hardest ht by the coronavirus and are special guests.

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