China launches new forum to beef up ties with resource-rich Africa

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept 27 (AFP): Foreign ministers of China and Africa launched their first annual talks yesterday as Beijing continues to expand its footprint in the vast and resource-rich continent.
"China and Africa are good friends, close partners and dear brothers," Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said as he shook hands and welcomed a long line of his African counterparts to the meeting at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Beijing, he said, would fulfil its pledge to write off debts, offer tax exemptions and step up development to the largely underdeveloped continent as part of efforts to boost political, investment and trade links.
"Steps on debt cancellation and tariff exemption will soon be completed," he said, pointing out that Chinese-African cooperation was based on "equality and mutual respect."
Yang also said that "breakthroughs" had been made in cooperation in finance, technology and civil aviation, noting that China-Africa trade hit 39.3 bilion during the January-June period in 2007, chalking up a nearly 30 per cent year-on-year jump.
China, which often comes under fire from Western nations for its human rights record, refrains from criticising rights abuses in Africa, whose bountiful natural resources fuel the Asian giant's rapid economic growth.
Some Western critics have particularly accused Beijing of worsening repression through support of countries such as Sudan and Zimbabwe in what they see as a cynical drive to increase access to African oil and other resources.
But Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, speaking on behalf of the African nations, said the Chinese-African relationship was based on a framework of mutual respect "away from sanctions, conditionality and selectivity concepts."
The United States and key European nations punish countries with poor human rights records by imposing sanctions and relatively rigid conditions for aid.
Abul Gheit rejected any notion the forum was blind to the crises in Sudan or Somalia or even the Palestinian issue or the Iraq turmoil, noting "consensus" on many regional and international issues, including the need to reform the United Nations.
"I don't doubt a moment that the two sides are keen and interested in continuing this consultation and coordination process on all levels and within different regional and international forums," he said.
Yang said China treated African nations as "equals."
Beijing also played an active role in maintaining peace in Africa, citing 1,300 Chinese peacekeepers deployed in seven peacekeeping areas in the continent, he said.
The foreign ministers' meeting is the first since a China-Africa leaders' summit was held in Beijing in November 2006 which unveiled a plan of action to strengthen ties in a broad range of areas.
As part of a commitment made by Chinese President Hu Jintao then, Beijing has launched a fund to encourage Chinese firms to invest in Africa.
The China-Africa Development Fund has got one billion dollars from the China Development Bank, with its size seen to reach five billion dollars eventually.
China, which currently is second to the European Union as Africa's biggest trading partner, is also building railways and other basic infrastructure in te continent, and hopes to open up a big market for cheap products.