The Dialogue on the Implementation of China-Africa Peace and Security Initiative was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday.
The Dialogue was hosted by the FOCAC co-chairs China and Senegal and the AU Commission.
The chair of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of FOCAC and Assistant Foreign Minister of China Chen Xiaodong, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad of the Republic of Senegal Mame Baba Cissé and the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs Minata Samate-Cessouma attended the Dialogue and made keynote speeches.
Foreign ministers and representatives of 23 African countries, including members of the AU Peace and Security Council and the five countries in the Sahel region attended and addressed the occasion.
Chen Xiaodong noted that at the successful FOCAC Beijing Summit last September, China and Africa agreed to jointly build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future. At the Summit, President Xi Jinping announced a host of new measures to strengthen China-Africa peace and security cooperation, and reached important consensus with African leaders on launching the peace and security initiative.
This year is the first year for implementing the Beijing Summit outcomes. Recently, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited several African countries and the AU Headquarters, during which he reached important common understanding with African leaders on furthering China-Africa cooperation in the field of peace and security. China hopes that the Dialogue will create synergy in thinking and action between the two sides, put forward suggestions on how to implement the peace and security initiative, and build momentum for China-Africa peace and security cooperation.
Chen Xiaodong noted that although the situation is improving, risks and challenges facing Africa’s peace and security cannot be overlooked. Over the years, China has fulfilled its responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Chen Xiaodong noted that China and Africa enjoy ever greater common language, common aspirations and common interests as new opportunities and challenges emerge under new circumstances.
China is ready to work with Africa to explore new dimensions for dialogue on peace and security policy and establish a China-Africa peace and security forum; to take new actions to build capacity on peace and security by encouraging the UN to provide financial support to the AU’s own peacekeeping operations and delivering on the military assistance to the five countries in the Sahel region; to explore new approaches to facilitate the political resolution of hotspot issues; and to implement the new measures of the peace and security initiative and formulate a plan for the utilization of the China-Africa Peace and Security Fund to promote new progress in China-Africa peace and security cooperation.
In their statements, the African delegates highly praised the historical significance of the FOCAC Beijing Summit and in particular, the new peace and security cooperation measures announced by President Xi Jinping, and applauded China’s long-standing efforts to help maintain Africa’s peace and stability. China always honors its words with actions. The Dialogue, which is held at the most opportune time, serves as a concrete example of China’s growing efforts in implementing the Beijing Summit outcomes in the field of peace and security. The African side welcomes China’s approach to the implementation of the China-Africa peace and security initiative and believes that the relevant measures are in line with Africa’s current situation and actual needs and will give a strong boost to Africa’s capacity building on peace and security.
The African side noted that going forward, Africa hopes to strengthen communication and coordination with China in the UN Security Council, and looks to China to increasing its support for Africa in conflict prevention and helping Africa realize its vision of silencing the guns in Africa by 2020 and building the African Peace and Security Architecture. Peace and development are closely inter-linked. Africa is ready to deepen cooperation on development with China, actively implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit in various fields and synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and the AU Agenda 2063. Africa will work with China to safeguard multilateralism, strengthen the multilateral system, enhance communication and coordination on major international affairs including the UN Security Council reform, and jointly defend the interests of China and Africa and other members of the developing world.
According to the statement of Chinese Mission to the AU, both sides spoke positively of the utcomes of the Dialogue, and agreed that the Dialogue was an innovative step in strengthening peace and security cooperation between China and Africa. The Dialogue served the goals of deepening communication and dialogue on Africa’s peace and security situation, strengthening policy alignment in this field, and building synergy between peace and security actions of China and Africa, and thus achieved a complete success.