ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Friday marked the 20th anniversary of the formation of the organization under the theme of "Our Africa, Our Future." The event coincided with the 20th anniversary of the formation of diplomatic relations between China and the AU.
The decision to re-launch the pan-African bloc, the then Organization of African Unity (OAU), was the outcome of a consensus by African leaders to refocus the attention from the fight for decolonization and apartheid to increased cooperation and integration of African states to promote Africa's growth and economic development.
Under the umbrella of the AU, the African continent has forged all-weather close cooperation with China in a bid to realize its socioeconomic development aspirations.
Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat in July spoke highly of the traditional friendship between China and Africa as well as the achievements of practical cooperation with the AU.
Faki, who termed the relations between Africa and China as "the exemplar of the times," reiterated the Union's keen intent to further deepen the already strong and long-standing China-Africa ties.
Faki emphasized the vital importance of the platforms, mainly the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in deepening the ever-expanding China-Africa ties.
Faki underscored the AU's readiness to work closely with China to speed up the implementation of the outcomes of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC and BRI cooperation so as to bring more benefits to the African and Chinese peoples.
During the Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC held in late November 2021 in Dakar, Senegal's capital, China announced nine programs to strengthen China-Africa cooperation in poverty reduction, agricultural development and digital innovation.
Monique Nsanzabaganwa, the deputy chairperson of the AU Commission, noted that the nine programs of Africa-China cooperation are boosting bilateral cooperation in all directions.
The nine programs "are pretty aligned to the priorities of Africa as expressed in the Agenda 2063 (the AU's 50-year continental development plan)," said Nsanzabaganwa in a recent interview with Xinhua. "We look up to these nine programs with high expectations."
She said the successful implementation of the nine programs can help realize Africa's continental aspiration for self-reliance by tapping into its own natural resources.
AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture Josefa Sacko also said recently that China's successful experience in poverty reduction and agricultural development is highly welcomed in Africa.
In terms of trade and investment, Nsanzabaganwa said China has supported the building of the African Continental Free Trade Area to help boost trade among African countries.
She emphasized Sino-Africa cooperation in public health as one key aspect that can significantly benefit the two sides with the help of the nine programs, citing the swift construction of the China-aided future headquarters of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) as an example.
The landmark project, featuring modern offices, high-end laboratories and accessories and covering an area of 90,000 square meters and with a construction period of 25 months, started in December 2020 in the southern suburb of Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, just 10 km away from the China-aided AU headquarters.
Africa, which has long been suffering from various infectious diseases, particularly the recurrent Ebola outbreaks and the raging COVID-19 pandemic, is in urgent need to improve its disease control system.
The successful China-Africa anti-pandemic cooperation is also another milestone that serves as an instructive manifestation of public health cooperation between the two sides. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage around the world, China supported Africa through anti-pandemic experience sharing, and the provision of personal protective equipment as well as vaccine doses, among others.
Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa CDC, told Xinhua that close collaboration with China in information sharing had enabled the Africa CDC to prepare better in terms of combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Nsanzabaganwa, China's support to Africa in the public health sector goes far beyond in terms of augmenting Africa's capacity to effectively cope with future public health shocks.
"China (is) really supporting Africa not only to cope with this pandemic, but also to continue supporting and building the capacity of Africa to handle the pandemic and also to industrialize the production of the pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other medical items," she said.
China's robust engagement in the development of large-scale infrastructure projects across Africa is also another milestone that has won acclaim in line with the two sides' blossoming ties.
AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Amani Abou-Zeid in an interview with Xinhua commended China for its efforts to help improve infrastructure connectivity across the continent. "We do appreciate the commitment of China in bridging infrastructure gaps in terms of transport projects at national levels in roads, railways, ports, and airports."
Many African countries have built new deep seaports, thousands of kilometers of roads and railways in cooperation with China that have helped transform the logistics across Africa, such as the Chinese-built 752.7-km-long Africa's first cross-border electrified Addis Ababa-Djibouti, and the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railways.
Abou-Zeid further underscored China's approach to advancing the partnership based on African priorities.
"The approach taken (by China) to build local capacity through transportation and engineering technologies, the exchanges and training that we had, and the promotion of African technical capacity are also the areas that are appreciated," she said.
AU Commissioner for Trade and Industry Albert Muchanga also said that cooperation with China is "really opening up opportunities for the development of infrastructure, including energy as well as the promotion of road development; and we in Africa welcome that." ■