The 4th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be convened next week in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, some African heads of state, Premier Wen Jiabao of China, the Chairman of the AU Commission and the UN Secretary-General will attend the opening ceremony of the conference. Two ministers of the FOCAC member states will be invited to the conference. Mmegi staff writer BRIAN BENZA this week interviewed the Chinese Ambassador to Botswana, Liu Huanxing, about the Forum, its objectives and benefits to both parties.
Mmegi: In short, would you tell me about FOCAC?
Liu: FOCAC is a mechanism of collective dialogue and practical cooperation between China and African countries which is pioneering in the history of China-Africa relations. In October 2000, in order to cope with the changes in the international situation after the Cold War and meet the challenge of economic globalisation, China and friendly countries in Africa jointly initiated FOCAC in Beijing. According to the forum mechanism, the Ministerial Conference should be convened once every three years alternately in China and African countries.
