WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/W/164 
21 February 2008 
 (08-0776) 
Committee on Trade and Development Original:  English 
  
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF MEASURES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF  
THE FORUM ON CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION (FOCAC) 
 
Communication from China
 
 
 
The following communication, dated 20 February 2008, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of China.  
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 Being a developing WTO Member itself faced  with numerous challenges for development, 
China fully understands the difficulties confronting other developing countries, especially those in 
Africa, in their pursuit towards economic developm ent and prosperity.  Therefore, China always 
makes its utmost efforts to expand its bilateral cooperation with other deve loping countries to seek 
common development in the spirits of "enhancing fri endship, treating each other as equals, extending 
mutual support and promoting common development". 
 
 The purpose of this communication is to keep  the Membership informed of the latest 
developments of the measures announced by China at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on 
China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the platfo rm for cooperation between China and other 
developing countries.  Such measures, mostly rela ted to trade and aid, and more importantly their 
faithful implementation, would demonstrate the sin cere efforts undertaken by China to contribute to 
the joint endeavour of this Organization to achie ve developmental objectives particularly in the 
ongoing Doha Development Round.   
I. INTRODUCTION 
1. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was jointly set up by China and Africa in 
October 2000, a major initiative taken to further promote traditional China-Africa friendship and 
cooperation.  In the past seven years, three Mi nisterial Conferences and five Senior-Official 
Meetings have been held.  In November 2006,  the Summit of the FOCAC was held in Beijing, 
participated by state leaders of 48 African countri es, China and Chairman of the African Union.  
2. At the opening ceremony of the Summit, H.E. President Hu Jintao of China announced a 
series of measures towards Africa with a view to  forge a new type of China-Africa strategic 
partnership by strengthening bila teral cooperation in extensive ar eas.  These measures include:  
Aid:  To double China's 2006 aid to Africa by 2009.  
 
Exemption of debt :  To exempt debt in the form of all the interest-free government loans that 
matured at the end of 2005 owed by the heavily indebted poor countries and the least-developed countries (LDCs) in Africa that have diplomatic relations with China. 
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  Duty-free Quota-free (DFQF) :  To further open up China's market to Africa by more than doubling 
the number of tariff lines for duty-free quota-free treatment from the LDCs in Africa having 
diplomatic relations with China. 
 
Education :  To train 15,000 African professionals and send 100 senior agricultural experts and 
300 youth volunteers to Africa by 2009, and to double government scholarships to African students 
from 2000 per year to 4000 per year by 2009.  
 
Infrastructure :  To build a Conference Centre for the African Union and to set up ten special 
Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centres, 30  hospitals, 30 Malaria Prevention and Treatment 
Centres and 100 rural schools in Africa. 
 
II. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS 
3. Ever since the Beijing Summit, China and Africa have been working closely with each other 
to implement the above-mentioned measures with direct involvement of State leaders of China and 
African countries.  
4. In 2007, fruitful results have alr eady been witnessed, which include:  
Aid:  Bilateral aid agreements have b een signed with 47 African countries. 
 Exemption of debt :  Protocols have been signed with 32 heavily-indebted poor countries and LDCs 
in Africa having diplomatic relations with China. 
 
Duty-free Quota-free (DFQF) :  By 1 January 2008, 27 LDCs in Africa enjoyed duty-free 
quota-free treatment in China.  Other three LDCs wi ll get same treatment once bilateral exchange of 
letter is completed.  
 
Education :  5931 professionals from Africa have been  trained through 239 programmes.  75 youth 
volunteers have been sent to Africa.  2700 governme nt scholarships have been provided to African 
students. 
 
Infrastructure :  On 25 May 2007 the Africa Day, the foundation stone was laid in Addis Ababa of 
Ethiopia, marking the official commencement of th e construction of the African Union Conference 
Center.  The first Agricultural Technology De monstration Center, and Malaria Prevention and 
Treatment Center have been established and offici al letters have been exchanged with 26 African 
countries to establish 58 rural schools.  
III. FINAL REMARKS 
5. "Peace, development and cooperation" are the core principles for the cooperation between 
China and other developing countries in an equa l manner.  China firmly believes that such 
cooperation complimented with specific measures w ould bring long term benefits to both China and 
its African partners and more broadly to the whole world.  
6. It should be also underlined that FOCAC is just one example of China's cooperation with 
other developing countries, particularly the LD Cs among them, to seek common development based 
on "peace, development and cooperation".  Similar me asures have been formulated and implemented 
bilaterally with other developing countries in As ia, Latin America and Pacific to share development 
opportunities and respond to common challenges.   WT/COMTD/W/164 
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  7. For example, we had also established China- Pacific Island Countries Economic Development 
and Cooperation Forum, China-Caribbean Economic  and Trade Cooperation Forum, within which 
measures with the same principles and spirits have been formulated and implemented.  
8. China also grants duty-free treatment to sever al LDCs outside Africa.  In the Framework 
Agreement on Comprehensive Econo mic Cooperation with ASEAN, China improved market access 
for its LDC partners – Cambodia, Lao PDR and My anmar from 1 January 2006.  Furthermore, six 
LDCs, namely Afghanistan, Maldives, Samoa, Vanuatu, Yemen and Bangladesh, also enjoyed 
duty-free treatment in China. 
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