The 12th Executive Council Meeting of the China-Africa Cooperation Roundtable was held in Jiujiang.

Deepening Practical Cooperation to Benefit the People of China and Africa

Chairman Zhang Xiangyang attended the meeting and delivered a presentation.

　　On July 1, the 12th Executive Council Meeting of the China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable was held in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. The meeting was attended by 30 participants, including the Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons, Executive Council Members and delegates of the China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable, as well as officials from the Jiangxi Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, the Jiujiang Municipal Government, and relevant business leaders. Zhang Xiangyang, Chairman of the Group Company, and Chen Guoli, Deputy General Manager of the Group Company and General Manager of its Overseas Branch, were invited to attend the meeting.

　　The main agenda items of this meeting are: thoroughly studying the two important speeches delivered by Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Africa in May of this year; gaining a deep understanding of the Central Committee’s policy on China–Africa relations; deliberating on the new tasks and opportunities facing the China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable; analyzing the investment cooperation opportunities presented by the initiative to “create an upgraded version of China–Africa cooperation”; discussing the potential for private enterprises to participate in large-scale China–Africa projects; and examining issues related to the Fifth Session of the China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable.

　　In his keynote address, Ji Peiding, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, former President of the Chinese Diplomats’ Association, and Chairman of the Board of the China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable, pointed out that this Executive Council meeting was convened following Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Africa, during which he proposed “building an upgraded version of China–Africa cooperation.” He emphasized that thoroughly studying the Central Committee’s policy toward Africa and gaining a deep understanding of the major initiatives undertaken by the Chinese government in its cooperation with Africa are of great significance for upholding the correct direction of the China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable. Mr. Ji outlined his view of three stages in the development of China–Africa relations: after the first and second stages, the relationship has now entered a new phase—the third stage. Frequent reciprocal visits by Chinese and African leaders, particularly President Xi Jinping’s visit to Africa last March, during which he put forward the four-character guiding principle of “truthfulness, practicality, affinity, and sincerity,” as well as Premier Li Keqiang’s visit this May, when he proposed “building an upgraded version of China–Africa cooperation” and unveiled a series of major initiatives to advance China–Africa relations, have propelled the partnership into this new stage. In this new phase, the shared mission of China and Africa is to reform the unjust international political, economic, and financial order, a task for which the two sides bear joint responsibility. Mr. Ji argued that building an upgraded version of China–Africa cooperation begins with upgrading the underlying philosophy of cooperation. The four principles for China–Africa cooperation put forward by Premier Li embody this new vision: such cooperation must be based on equality and mutual benefit, win-win outcomes, the simultaneous pursuit of justice and interests—with justice taking precedence over interests—and must serve the national economy and people’s livelihoods in the host countries; only then can it be truly sustainable. Moreover, the content and forms of cooperation must also evolve: it should no longer be confined to traditional areas such as trade, labor services, and engineering contracting, but should instead actively engage in Africa’s infrastructure development, industrialization, and agricultural cooperation, while guiding the transfer of Chinese production capacity and labor-intensive industries to Africa, thereby transforming “Made in China” into “Made in Africa.” At the same time, efforts must be made to upgrade China’s image in Africa. In recent years, the scale of China–Africa cooperation has expanded rapidly; however, the misconduct of a small number of enterprises has tarnished China’s image and drawn criticism from local populations. It is therefore essential to guide enterprises to comply with local laws and regulations, maintain friendly relations with local employees, and provide them with appropriate treatment. An enterprise’s image is an intangible asset that must be carefully cultivated and cherished. As Chinese companies increasingly expand their presence abroad, they must also pay close attention to and effectively mitigate political and economic risks. The China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable should not only serve as a platform for Chinese enterprises entering the African market, but also closely monitor the political and economic risks in relevant countries and issue timely warnings to concerned enterprises. Finally, Mr. Ji stressed that the China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable itself must continuously upgrade: it should make the study and thorough grasp of the spirit of the Central Committee’s policy toward Africa a regular part of its work, so as to ensure that it stays on the right track of development and strives tirelessly to promote the transformation and upgrading of China–Africa cooperation.

　　The meeting thoroughly studied the two important speeches delivered by Premier Li during his visit to Africa. It concluded that the Chinese government’s policy orientation toward Africa is now remarkably clear, and a comprehensive blueprint for China–Africa cooperation has been laid out before us. The “4+6+1” cooperation framework, the “Three Major Networks,” and China’s engagement in Africa’s industrialization process will comprehensively drive the transformation and upgrading of China–Africa cooperation, creating rare opportunities for collaboration between Chinese and African enterprises. Chinese companies should seize the momentum and actively participate in building an upgraded version of China–Africa cooperation.

　　During the exchange of conference experiences, Zhang Xiangyang, Chairman of the Group, elaborated on our company’s approach to operating in overseas markets in light of the current “going global” landscape, earning high praise from the attending delegates.

　　During the conference, Qiang Wei, Secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee, met in Nanchang with a delegation of guests from the China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable, led by its Chairman Ji Peiding. The China–Africa Cooperation Roundtable is a flagship initiative under the auspices of the Association of Former Chinese Diplomats, aimed at complementing the intergovernmental China–Africa Cooperation Forum by promoting China’s Africa policy through people-to-people and public diplomacy, providing advisory services and matchmaking to facilitate Chinese enterprises’ expansion into Africa, and guiding Chinese companies to conduct their Africa-related cooperation in a compliant and responsible manner.