Interview: China-Africa cooperation is friendly cooperation between brothers, says Mali's FM

BAMAKO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China-Africa cooperation is friendly cooperation between brothers, and bilateral relations have been developing steadily since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Mali's Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Abdoulaye Diop has said.

"The 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which took place in an atmosphere of cordiality and brotherhood in Dakar, has laid the foundation for a new era of cooperation between China and its African partners," Diop said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Regarding the line of credit of 10 billion U.S. dollars to African financial institutions announced by the Chinese side, more than 3 billion have been disbursed, including nearly 2.5 billion granted to finance African priority projects, he said.

"China-Africa cooperation is friendly cooperation between brothers," Diop said. Since the establishment of the FOCAC, which is a platform for discussion for greater economic cooperation between China and Africa, China-African relations have been consistently developing, especially in the economic, industrial, agricultural and diplomatic fields, he added.

"Infrastructure achievements are another illustration of the win-win partnership with China," he said.

Earlier this month, the hydroelectric project Gouina Dam and the educational infrastructure of the Kabala University Complex, both built by Chinese companies, were inaugurated in Mali.

From 2016 to 2020, the total investment in infrastructure projects in Africa reached almost 200 billion dollars. Projects implemented by Chinese companies accounted for 31.4 percent of all infrastructure projects on the African continent in 2020, according to the white paper "China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership of Equality" published last year.

Since the founding of FOCAC, Chinese companies have utilized various funds to help African countries build and upgrade more than 10,000 km of railways, nearly 100,000 km of highways, nearly 1,000 bridges and 100 ports, and 66,000 km of power transmission and distribution. They have also helped build an installed power-generating capacity of 120 million kW, a communications backbone network of 150,000 km and a network service covering nearly 700 million user terminals.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries 62 years ago, China-Mali relations have continued to develop for the great satisfaction of both peoples, said Diop, stressing that Mali remains steadfast on the one-China principle, and political ties have been further strengthened over time through high-level exchanges.

The African side welcomes more Chinese investors and intends to actively share information on investment policies, market opportunities, and laws and regulations through mechanisms and platforms, he added. ■