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Lovemore Chikova in BEIJING, China
China will push the Group of 20 members to do more in ensuring the speedy industrialisation of African countries when they meet for their 11th summit in the Asian country in September.Briefing Chinese and African journalists on the 100-day countdown to the summit last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Mr Wang Yi said his country would push the G20 to take the lead and play an exemplary role in global cooperation on sustainable development.
The 11th G20 summit will be held in the city of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in the Yangtze River Delta, from September 4 to 6.
In preparation for the summit, China has come up with 10 expected outcomes, with the eighth being on Africa’s industrialisation, which is set to become one of the major issues of focus.
“Eighth, initiate cooperation to support industrialisation of Africa and least developed countries (LDCs) in the world,” said Mr Wang. “For Africa and LDCs, it is imperative to speed up industrialisation and build up capacity for home-grown development.
“This year, China will encourage G20 members to help Africa and LDCs speed up industrialisation, reduce poverty and pursue sustainable development by means of capacity building, investment increase and infrastructure improvement.”
At the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation Summit in Johannesburg last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping availed $60 billion to Africa, with a major chunk earmarked for industrialisation projects.
Mr Wang said China would push for the launch of a “three-pronged anti-corruption cooperation at the summit”.
“The summit will work out the high-level principles on international fugitive repatriation and asset recovery, set up a research centre on anti-corruption cooperation and make an anti-corruption action plan (2017-2018) to guide anti-corruption efforts with guiding principles and due mechanisms and concrete actions, in order to ensure that G20 countries provide no safe haven for corruption offenders,” he said.
Mr Wang said because of the huge contribution of G20 to the world economy, it was indeed true that the performance by its member States’ economies would have a direct bearing on the world stage.
He said G20 was different from previous cooperation mechanisms which appeared favourable to a group of countries.
“Here, developed countries and developing countries sit at the same table as equal partners and discuss and decide on international economic matters on an equal footing,” said Mr Wang.
“This reflects a major change in the world economic pattern and represents historical progress in keeping with the trend of our times.”
Mr Wang said there were hopes that outcomes from the Hangzhou summit would re-energise the world economy, with common solutions to challenges and outstanding issues expected to emerge.
He said China was ready to host the crucial summit and would use the remaining 100 days to wrap up preparations.
“As the host, we are keenly aware of the heavy responsibilities on our shoulders,” he said. “We want to facilitate G20’s transition from a crisis-response mechanism to one focusing on long-term governance so as to better lead world economic growth and international economic cooperation.”
Other expected areas of focus at the summit will include working out a blueprint for innovation-driven growth and adopting an action plan for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Online Reporter