China committed to FOCAC resolutions: official

PRETORIA -- China is committed to fulfilling resolutions adopted at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), a Chinese Embassy official said on Thursday.

The Chinese government will implement what China and Africa agreed upon at the FOCAC Summit last December, said Hu Zhangliang, spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria.

This would be done despite the global challenges and economic difficulties China is facing, Hu told journalists, diplomats, academics and government officials attending a round table discussion about the FOCAC Summit.

"The Johannesburg Summit left a mark in China Africa relations. All those outcomes will be implemented in an honest manner. What we have achieved re-affirms the idea of mutual and win-win cooperation," Hu said.

The summit, he said, showed strong unity and friendship between China and Africa.

"The feature of our cooperation is sincerity, mutual benefit and respect," he said.

Hu stressed the need for strong pillars to support the comprehensive strategic relationship between China and Africa, saying both sides have agreed and shown political will and commitment to the Sino-Africa relationship.

"This cooperation will help in employment creation, food security and health development," Hu said.

China and Africa will work together to achieve the FOCAC Summit resolutions, he pledged.

"China would not have achieved what we have achieved without Africa and Africa would not be where they are without China,"Hu added.

Professor Garth Shelton at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, concurred with the Chinese diplomat.

Shelton said FOCAC has a success story, as can be shown by Chinese-funded infrastructure construction in many African countries.

"FOCAC is unique and valuable to promote cooperation. By choosing China, Africa makes useful and positive arrangement ... FOCAC is not a one-way relationship, it works both ways," he said.

Shelton encouraged African countries to make conditions more favourable for investment and remove red tape in ensuring that prospective investors do not encounter problems in terms of legislation and doing business.

Phuilani Mthembu, a senior researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue, said the Johannesburg FOCAC Summit has produced positive outcomes like the Johannesburg Declaration and Action Plan which will ensure compliance of the outcomes.