Chinese envoy calls for more support to peace, sustainable development in Africa

A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Friday called on the International community to attach importance to cooperation with Africa and provide more support to peace and sustainable development in the continent.

Peace and development in Africa will be of critical importance to lasting peace and common prosperity of the world, said Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN, at a meeting of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly on new partnership for Africa's development.

The international community should attach importance to cooperation with Africa from a strategic perspective and increase attention to and input in Africa under the guidance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and African Union's Agenda 2063, in order to make greater progress in implementing the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Liu said.

As "support for Africa's development is the key to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Liu said that "The international community should fully consider Africa's development needs and special challenges and attach importance to resolving issues of poverty, hunger, and public health which affect living conditions in African countries."

Liu also noted that "when it comes to development models, we should adhere to the principle of diversity and give Africa sufficient policy space in implementing the 2030 Agenda, while ensuring respect for the autonomy of African countries throughout the process."

While stressing development partnership needs to be optimized, the Chinese diplomat suggested the international community actively fulfill its commitments to Africa and expand assistance to Africa.

Developing countries should make a good use of North-South cooperation as the main channel and be encouraged to deepen South-South cooperation under the principles of equality, mutual trust, mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, solidarity and mutual help, strengthen the exchange of experience, and improve the quality of cooperation, so as to advance their development in Africa and elsewhere to a higher level, a larger scope, and broader areas, said Liu.

Countries should also strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and adopt active financial, trade, investment, and debt-related measures to help with Africa's development.

Liu emphasized that peace is the precondition for development and stability provides safeguard for development, saying the international community should uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and work actively to promote peace and negotiation on the basis of full respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of African countries, and seek to resolve differences through peaceful means.

The Chinese envoy also highlighted cooperation between China and Africa.

While attending a series of summits at the United Nations last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping expounded China's views on international order and issues bearing on the future and destiny of the human race and announced a series of important measures, including establishing the China-UN Fund for Peace and Development, the Assistance Fund for South-South Cooperation and increasing investment in the least developed countries.

The Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December.

"China believes that this summit will produce a new plan and blueprint for and give new impetus to the future China-Africa cooperation, and send to the world a strong signal of joint progress, win-win cooperation, and common development of China and Africa, so that the people of China, Africa, and the world as a whole can see new prospects of development," said Liu.

Source: XINHUA