Source: African Union Commission (AUC) |

Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha pays official visit to China’s ministries of foreign affairs and of national health

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 28, 2016/APO/ --

H.E Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), on 22 June 2016 met with H.E. Mr. QIAN Hongshan ,Assistant Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China and H.E. Ms Cui Li, Vice Minister of National Health & Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), during an official visit to China undertaken from 21-25 June 2016.

Mr. Mwencha was leading an African Union delegation at the 3rd Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation held on 21June 2016 in Beijing, China,  under the theme: “Win-win cooperation, common development”, in the presence of Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, Executive Secretary at The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). The AUC Deputy Chairperson met with several high official and was granted several audiences in various Chinese ministries.

The meetings focused on strengthening the relationship between the African Union and China as well as capacity building in various areas of interest in line with the implementation of the Africa Agenda 2063. Key projects such as the high speed train, the establishment of the Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC), agriculture, industrialization, ICT development, setting up broadcasting studios at the AU and digital transformation, were discussed among others.

While at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mwencha updated the Assistant Minister on the outcome of the China-Africa Media Forum. He said the media forum provided a platform to explore opportunities for future mutual development, and to contribute to promoting world peace, stability and the development of Africa and China. “Indeed we need to strengthen our dialogue, consolidate Africa-China traditional friendship, deepen strategic collaboration and enhance the mechanism of practical cooperation between us”, emphasized the AUC Deputy Chairperson.

Reference was made to the historical, political, economic, military, social and cultural connections between China and the African continent. Assistant Minister QIAN Hongshan underlined that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes on China's developmental engagements with Africa, while also stating that China and Africa are making "joint efforts to maintain the lawful rights of developing countries and push forward

the creation of a new, fair and just political and economic order in the world. During the official visit of the AUC Deputy Chairperson to the Ministry of Health, Vice Minister Cui Li and her close collaborators made of highly qualified medical doctors, held a working session with the AUC delegation to discuss China’s technical support to the Africa CDC. She said her ministry is responsible for drafting laws and regulations for health and family planning as well as the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is also responsible for planning the resource allocation of medical care, public health and family planning services; establishing a basic medicine system to standardize drug prices; formulating China's family planning policy; and supervising and administering public health, medical care and family planning services.

Mr. Mwencha also met with the Minister of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China (SAPPRFT) of the People’s Republic of China and co-organizer of the 3rd Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation, H.E. Cai Fuchao, who reiterated his country’s readiness to boost cooperation in the media sector with African countries in order to develop a healthy and friendly China-Africa relationship.  “We want our media houses to work with their African counterparts not only to broaden areas of cooperation, but most importantly to promote the strategic China-Africa media relations,” he said.

The State Administration of Press, Radio, Film and Television is in charge of China’s radio, television and film sector and it directly supervises China National Radio, China Radio International and China Central Television.

The official tour of the AUC Deputy Chairperson in Beijing concluded with a meeting with the Vice Minister of Cyber Space Administration of the People’s Republic of China Ms Wang Xiujun . The meeting focused on strengthening ties in the area of ICT and cyberspace. It covered topics that include e-Government and Cyber Security. Strategies of encouraging safe practices online were explored during the bilateral. “We need to find ways of analysing data to help us improve the protection of the vulnerable people online, focusing on women and the youth as well as  encourage the cooperation between the African Union and China to push forward the digital development to benefit our respective populations ,” said Ms Wang.

Mr. Mwencha expressed appreciation to the Government of China for contributing to the economic growth of Africa at short, medium and long term. At the end of the visit, the AUC Deputy Chairperson offered a copy of the AU diary 2016 to the host Ministers and their collaborator as symbolic gift with content information about the African Union and highlights on the “Year of Human Right with particular focus on the Rights of Women”. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Commission (AUC).