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The 3rd Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation INTRODUCTION Chinese-African friendship goes back to an old date and has a solid foundation. China and Africa had faced similar suffering in the past. They have remained empathetic with and supportive to each other in their struggle to achieve their national liberation, so they established a deep friendship with each other. Marking the golden anniversary of the start of the Chinese-African friendship in 1956, China hosted the 3rd Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on 3-5 November 2006, this time highlighting "friendship, peace, cooperation and development." Thirty five head of states, six prime ministers and representatives of 26 regional and international organizations including the UN and the Arab League of States participated in the Summit. FOCAC may well represent a new impetus to old relations that started politically within the framework of the Pandung Non-Aligned States Conference in 1955. These relations were further promoted by diplomatic ties which were inaugurated in 1956 between China and Egypt and continued since then till the number of African states that are linked with diplomatic relations with China rose to 48 countries in 2006. The Forum epitomizes an important framework for collective dialogue and practical cooperation between the Chinese and African parties which constitute one third of the population of the globe. China lays great significance on the positive role played by FOCAC in fostering relations with the African continent. Therefore, it is worthwhile to focus attention to the Forum with regard to its foundation, the summits held within its framework and the most significant results came from it in developing the Chinese ties with Africa. However, focus on this paper will be laid on the 3rd Summit of the Forum. I- The birth of the Chinese-African Forum: The Chinese-African Cooperation Forum was founded in 2000. Its first summit was held in Beijing in the same year. Within the summit's framework China stroke off 156 debts of 31 African countries valued at $1, 3 billion. The 2nd summit, which was held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in 2003, resulted in issuing the Addis Ababa action plan for the Chinese-African cooperation 2004-2006. In this context more than 40 agreements were signed between the Chinese-African parties doubling the volume of trade between them. China became the third trade partner to Africa after the US and the EU. The 3rd Summit of the Chinese-African Cooperation Forum: The Summit was held with the aim of reviewing the Chinese-African friendship relations in the recent years, working out a plan for future cooperation and exchanging views on major international issues. Two main documents were issued by FOCAC, namely the Chinese initiative for the development of Africa and the closing statement (Beijing Declaration). Discussions also dealt with the basic rules to raise the level of relations between the two parties to the strategic level and the Chinese-African scopes of relations. 2. The Chinese initiative for Africa development Chinese President Hu Jintao announced his country's initiative to aid the African countries. The initiative included the following 8 items: 1- China will double direct aid to African countries from its 2006 level by 2009 and will extend $3 billion in preferential loans and $2 billion of export credits over the next three years. 2- It will create a $5 billion Chinese-African development fund to encourage the Chinese companies to invest in Africa. 3- A conference center will be established for the African Union to assist the African states in their efforts to strengthen their economy through unity and cooperation. 4- African debts owed to the Chinese government and were accumulated due to the interests of the loans obtained by the African countries till the end of 2005 will be forgiven, especially with regard to the less developed countries which have diplomatic ties with China. 5- Chinese markets will be expanded for African products by increasing the number of export categories of the African countries that receive tariff-free status from 190 to 440 products. 6- Three to five economic and trade cooperation zones will be established across Africa over the next three years. 7- China will train 15,000 African professionals, send 100 Chinese agriculture experts to Africa, establish 10 technological centers and 30 hospitals in the continent, offer a grant of 300 million Chinese yuan to fight and treat malaria and establish 30 anti-malaria clinics, send 300 Chinese youths and volunteers to Africa and build 100 rural schools. 8- The number of the Chinese government's scholarships to African students each year will be doubled to 4,000 scholarships by 2009. 9 - Raising the level of relations to the strategic level The desire to raise the level of Chinese-African relations to the strategic level is a main direction in the current Chinese policy. Chinese President Hu Jintao stressed in his speech to the opening session of the FOCAC the need to raise the level of relations between the Chinese-African parties to the strategic level through the following: 1- Political relations based on mutual trust and equality will be deepened and a high level political and strategic dialogue will be opened to enhance joint political trust and traditional friendship between the two parties. 2- Economic cooperation based on mutual benefits will be expanded through strengthening the economic and trade relations and expanding the cooperation fields. 3- The scope of cooperation in the cultural field will be expanded through boosting the exchange of visits between citizens to enhance joint understanding and friendship between the peoples and youths, especially in the technological, cultural, health, sports and tourism fields. 4- Efforts will be exerted to achieve balanced and equal international development through increasing South-South cooperation, boosting dialogue between the North and the South and inciting the advanced countries to meet their commitments and pledges to alleviate debts, extend assistance and open their markets to African products. 5- Joint cooperation and support in international affairs will be promoted, through enhancing UN objectives, respecting diversity in the world, boosting democracy in international relations, calling for enhancing international security cooperation based on mutual trust, benefit and understanding, fostering consultation and coordination between China and Africa so that the two parties would be capable to deal with threats and challenges in world security affairs. 4. Spheres of cooperation within the forum's framework not only does the Chinese-African Cooperation Forum focus on cooperation in economic and commercial fields, but its concerns also include fostering cooperation in other fields, particularly in the security and cultural spheres. With regard to the security sphere, Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed his belief in the significance of promoting exchange of visits and consultations, enhancing collective security in the world community, reaching a new security concept based on mutual trust, interest, equality and cooperation stressing the importance of his country's cooperation with Africa in the fields of untraditional security such as protection against major contagious diseases and fighting transnational crimes. He also stressed his country's support to the African Union and other regional organizations and African states in their efforts to enhance regional peace. Concerning the cultural sphere, the Chinese President indicated that his country should promote cultural exchange with the African continent and stressed the need for each party to accept the other's culture in order to foster mutual understanding and friendship. 5- The closing statement (Beijing Declaration) .The 3rd FOCAC closing statement which was named Beijing Declaration came to express the exigency to intensify cooperation between the two parties during the coming period, augment the levels of economic development in both parties, activate the principles of peaceful coexistence and enhance democracy. 6- Egypt's Participation in the Forum Egypt was keen to participate in the Forum at the presidential level. It was attended by President Hosni Mubarak who addressed the opening session of the Forum. In his speech he dealt with the history and reality of the Sino-African relations and how it achieved progress during the last five decades. He also touched on the future of these relations and what Africa looked for in fostering cooperation with China. Mubarak further renewed the two sides' keenness to intensify communication, boost cooperation with China in all spheres, exchange expertise, coordinate standpoints in contribution to achieving permanent peace and integrated development for China, Africa and the world. 7- International standpoints on the Forum varied between expressing welcome and articulating apprehension and reservation. At the official level UN Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed China's announcement to increase aid to Africa. He stressed that Africans could benefit greatly from the experiences of their Chinese friends who succeeded in continuing developmental growth and reducing poverty. Arab League Secretary General, Amr Mousa, applauded China for its efforts to boost Chinese-African cooperation. He emphasized the importance of FOCAC as a necessary and useful mechanism to achieve African cooperation with China. At the unofficial level, the forum gained extensive media coverage. It underlined its significance and its role in developing Sino-African ties. While some media tools applauded the Forum, others, particularly in Western countries, launched unabated campaign against it criticizing the Chinese endeavors to boost relations with Africa. The campaign's mode escalated before the convening of the Forum focusing on the claim that China was only seeking a new form of colonialism in Africa through exploiting African resources and flooding the countries of the continent with debts. The Chinese foreign ministry condemned this campaign. 8- Remarks on the Chinese-African Forum: 1- China did well in coordinating the convening of the 3rd forum for cooperation with Africa. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Chinese Premier of the State Council LI Peng visited ten African countries in April and June 2006 to shed light on the Chinese directions towards the African continent during the coming stage. Immediately before the convening of FOCAC a meeting was held between the African foreign ministers and their Chinese counterpart on November 3. 2- China insisted in its discourse with the Africans to present itself as the greatest developing country in the world and that it will remain the greatest development partner in the African continent which includes the largest number of developing countries in the world. 3- China also acted right in its discourse with the Africans that it did not believe in the division of Africa, as some do, into north and south of the Sahara. 4 - The Chinese President was persistent in promoting the personal friendship ties with the African heads of state. This was evident in not just sending official invitations to the African leaders to attend the summit, but he was keen to invite them personally by written letters and telephone calls, especially with regard to the African states of special importance to China. 5- Although the Chinese investments in Africa are growing constantly in the various sectors (they rose to $6 billion in 2005), the Forum's emphasis on the need to intensify Chinese investment in the infrastructure sector in Africa represents a significant opportunity which should be utilized to strengthen and develop the main infrastructure elements in the continent such as roads, power and water stations and dams. They are elements necessary to modernize the continent and attract more foreign Asian, Western and Arab investments. The Tanzania-Zambia railway project may be a prominent example in this regard. 6- The economic role of China in Africa is not accompanied currently by a strong political Chinese presence in Africa in respect of supporting the African issues at the international level, in contrast with the Chinese support of the national liberation issues in Africa. China, in fact, like any other country is keen to establish some sort of balance in its relations with the various world powers. Hence, it will not sacrifice its interests in favor of Africa. 7- The Chinese role in settling political disputes in Africa is still limited. It is restricted to political contacts and participation in peace-keeping forces in some African countries such as Liberia, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
by Adel Ali The legislative and municipal elections which Mauritania witnessed on the nineteenth of last November and the third of December, after organizing a referendum on the new constitution last June. Thus they are considered a new step on the road to transformation towards democracy and the return of authority to the civilians. This comes within the frame of the transitional programme which the ruling military council justice and democracy announced its commitment to it with the aim of returning Mauritania to the civilian life. First: The importance of the Mauritanian elections: 1- For the first time in the history of this country the chance of peaceful alternation of authority is given and the voter is granted the right to choose who will rule him. 2- They are considered the first of their country since the fall of the former president Muaweyah weld Al- Taiea; this makes them enjoy an exceptional importance because the parliament and the municipal councils resulting from them will be responsible for running the country's affairs in the stage of the political threshold which follows the March 2007. 3- They are considered the first of their kind in the modern Mauritanian history, in which they are done without advertising for candidates of the ruling party who are publicly supported by the ruling authority. 4- They are the first elections that are done under the new election law, which imposes a certain quota for women in the parliament in its two rooms (the senate and the congress)and also stipulates a percentage of not less than 20% in the municipal councils. 5- The participation of political powers that were persecuted by the former regime, for the first time, represented in the “organization of the nights of change” which turned into a political party bearing the name of “the Mauritanian union and change” party. The elections also witnessed the participation of the Islamic trend independently. 6- They will determine the features of the coming regime, which will succeed the military council in authority. The elections will reveal for the first time, the real bulk of the Mauritani parties and the various political powers specially the independents. Second: The climate in which the elections were done: The Mauritanian elections took place amidst severe competition between the parties and the independents. This may be attributed to the large participation from the side of the various Mauritani political spectrum, as 441 Lists struggled for amounts to 95, whereas 1222 lists competed for 214 municipal council on the national level in order to obtain the votes of nearly one million and 64 thousands voters (both men and women), who represent the total number of those enrolled who are allowed to vote in Mauritania. Despite what the election campaign has shown of the severe competition between political powers which are: the Powers of change that combines 11 opposition porties, the parties of the presidential majority before the change including the ruling party and some of the parties that follow it, in addition to the independents, yet, as what will be illustrated when dealing with the results of the elections, such powers could not win the election campaign to their favour from the first round. Although the election campaign revealed the great disparity in the programmes and visions between the political parties, yet it also revealed the great effect of the absence of public money on the flow of the election campaign, as financing the candidates of the previous ruling party depleted the state's public treasury for a long time, besides the refrain of some business men to spend their money during the transitional stage in view of the uncertainty that dominates these elections. Third: The results of the elections: The first stage resulted in 12 circles from the original 45 election circles by choosing 29 representatives in the parliament, that is, a percentage of 35,8%. The political parties obtained 19 seats while the independent lists got the remaining ten seats, The final results of this stage revealed the victory of the coalition of the democratic change powers by 26 seats (after adding the coalition seats in the national list) from the original 43 seats. This stage resulted in the victory of 9 ladies from the original 43 seats which had been decided upon. This percentage exceeds 20% from the results of the first round. The percentage of participation in the legislative and municipal elections during the first stage reached 73%, them it decreased to 60% in the second stage, that it, less than 13% of what it was during the first stage. According to the official results declared after the end of the second stage, the parties of the democratic change powers coalition got 41 seats versus 38 seats for the independents, while the remaining seats were divided among the other political parties. On the lane of the local elections, competition was for 3688 seats in the municipal councils. The parties obtained 2151 seats with a percentage of 62.81% while the independents got 1537 seats with a percentage of 37,19%. Fourth: The meanings of the election results: 1- The relative progress of the parties of the democratic change powers coalition – the previous opposition and the independents, versus the remarkable shrinking of the former ruling presidential majority parties in the country. 2- The great division in the Mauritanian political street. this led to the failure of any political parties in obtaining a parliamentary majority that can secure running the affairs in the country during the stage that follow the current transitional period. 3- The remarkable shrinking of the independents close to the transitional authorities and the stumpling of their efforts in controlling the parliament. 4- The wide participation from the part of the women as the authorities stipulated the presence of a woman for each two men in the elections lists with the aim of giving the women a percentage not less than 20% in the elected councils. 5- The coming stage will undoubtedly bear the prints of division and dispersion that distinguished the elections as a result of the failure of all the competing powers to win absolute majority. This means the impossibility for a real majority to exist in the parliament or the coming local councils. Fifth: 200 international observers participated in observing the elections. The most prominent figures of them were 87 from the European Union and another number from the Aftican Union, the Arab League, the Islamic Conference, the world Francophone Organization and the united states, besides 300 national observers that were mandated from the national observatory for observing elections. It is an independent authority that was established by the civil societies organisations. The Mauritanian elections, for the first time in their history, got the praise of all the political spectrums and the admiration of the international observers. The success of the ruling military council in Mauritania in fulfilling some of the promised which it proposed in the transitional pragmme, confirms the progress of Mauritania a further step forward on the road towards transformation to democracy. But the true transformation will be on the seventh of next March. This day will witness the performing of presidential elections, if they are followed by the withdrawal of the army from interfering in the politics, and the election of a president who is able to lead the country during the transitional stage the ruling military council will thus be successful in establishing a democratic regime that leads the country towards the future.
Introduction The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo Brazzaville and formerly as Zaire witnessed the first multi-candidateship presidential elections since 40 years. The importance of holding such elections lies in the formally termination of the transitional stage that lasted for 3 years after the end of the civil war that torn the state and resulted in the death of more than 4 millions people. The Democratic Congo, a history of conflict History of the Democratic Congo is full of many clashes and military coups. Since independence of the Belgium occupation in 1960, Congo never practiced peace or democracy. The first governing Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was assassinated 4 months only after independence. The country then fell into a wave of eddy chaos during the rule of Kasavubu, President of Congo (1960-65). Military overthrows had succeeded, as General Mobutu Sese Seko's military coup that rendered the country lives 3 decades of corruption and instability. The Republic of Congo (Zaire before) had suffered the ethnic struggle and civil war since 1994 and was affected by the enormous numbers of the refugees escaping from fighting in both Rwanda and Burundi. In 1997, Luran Kabila had overthrown Mobutu's government, and so fast the Kabila's rule had also rebelled in 1998 by Rwanda and Uganda. Forces from Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia, Chad and Sudan intervened to boost the Kinshasa regime and a ceasefire decision had been reached on July 1999. After being shot dead by one of his men on January 16, 2001, Kabila never been the President and the presidency chair went free until his successor son Joseph Kabila tenured as president in 2001. Joseph succeeded in convincing the Rwandan forces to pull out from the East of Congo. An agreement was then signed to end dispute and to begin the national unity. Approving the constitution the political domain in the Republic of Congo witnessed a political movement in the first day in 2006. This movement represented in holding a referendum on the draft permanent democratic constitution for Congo after the end of the transitional stage in 2006. The independent electoral committee declared that 83% of the total voters that reached 25 million voters given their okay on the permanent constitution. After the voters' agreement on the constitution, the multi-candidate elections will be launched. It is a presidential, parliamentary and local elections. Preparations for the elections date of the election operation had been postponed one year starting from June 30, 2005 until the same day and month of 2006. This was in the reason for some of the logistic, technical and financial troubles from the one side, in addition to the deficiency in some required procedures for the elections. Running the elections about 25 million voters had been called for to choose the president among 33 candidates in the first tournament of the elections. This tournament was going in synchronization with a legislative voting to choose 500 parliamentary members among 9707 candidates. The Congo authorities allotted about 50.000 voting centers allover the country. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the steps taken by the Congo authorities with the backing of the international community. Candidates The number of the candidates in the presidential elections counted 33 and in the following lines we will focus on the most famous ones: 1. Joseph Kabila: he was born in June 1971 in Hewa Borai the southern Kivu County in the eastern Congo. He has a bachelor of diplomacy and international studies from the Washington international University. In January 26, 2001, he was tenured as the Congo president after his father's assassination. Joseph's slogan in his election campaign was “elect Kabila, the peace maker”, and he is the son of the former president Luran Kabila who defeated the former dictator Mobutu and paved the way to a Democratic Congo. Kabila was very lucky for he receiving a material and financial support outside Congo like the US, France, Belgium, South Africa and Angola. Kabila also received support from the European Commissioner. On the other hand, a number of the leaders of the African states released statements of support for Kabila like presidents of Gabon Tanzania, Central Africa, etc 2. Jean-Pierre Bemba: he was born on November 1962 and obtained the master's degree in commerce and consulate sciences from Brussels. He was a businessman before playing policy. He owns the Congo and Kein TV station and the Liberty Radio Station. His first emergence at the political theater when he was chairing the Financial Advisor for President Mobutu Sese Seko who was coped by Luran Kabila in 1997, he established the Movement for the Liberation of Congo in 1998 getting an Ugandan support after the outbreak of the civil war. This movement turned out to be a political party and then he was empowered as president at the time he was the responsible of the Ministry of Finance at the transitional government. Bemba is considered one of the strongest rivals for Joseph Kabila. The international watchdogs About 1500 watchdogs from various countries all over the world had come to Congo from Western Europe countries, Canada, US, South Africa and the African Union. For its part, the US Foreign Department of State dispatched a delegation to Congo headed by the Deputy Foreign Secretary of State under the emblem of “Congo is moving from wars to democracy”. About 40.000 Congolese representing organizations of civil societies, churches had joined these delegations to watch the elections in the electoral constituencies. The regional and international support The int'l community donated about $500 million to organize the elections. The UN planned a controlled security frame to protect the electoral constituencies and the voting boxes. The UN distributed a force counted to 17.000 in the regions, particularly in the eastern regions in the fear of any attack from the rebellions. The European Union also dispatched 2000 soldiers, the half of them in Kinshasa and the other half in the airport of the capital Gabon. The evaluation of the electoral process The international watchdog envoys issued their joint announcement to hail the participation of the voters besides the presence of supervisors from the political parties in addition to the local watchdogs. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the success of the election, describing it a historical event in the Democratic republic of Congo. The European Commissioner also hailed the elections, describing it operated under calm climates and the Congolese people shown serious intention towards democracy. On the other hand, Jean-Pierre Bemba, one of the Deputy-President, stated to the press the forgery processes and electoral deception happened during the electoral process. But the independent electoral committee made it clear that it did nit receive any complaints. Results of the elections Results indicate that Joseph Kabila gained 44.8% of votes, while Jean-Pierre Bemba obtained 2O.3%, and Antoine Gezinga 13.1°k of votes.
Through two days, from 15- 16 November 2006 Djbuti hosted the activities of the eleventh session for the meetings of East and South Africa common market, known for abbreviation as “The COMESA”. This economic gathering which had gone a long way in the road of economic and commercial integration, and achieved, during the recent period, several accomplishments on the level of inter- trade, commercial financing and coordination in applying the economic and commercial policies besides developing and facilitating communications. The total trade bulk of the COMESA Market amounted to $ 87.7 billions during 2005 while in 2002 it was only about $ 64 billions.COMESA , now, plays an important part on the two levels, the economic and the political, for the sake of supporting the joint African work amidst globalization and the great challenged which are embodied by the general agreement on trade and tariffs “GATT” specially on the poor or the under- developed African countries. The Summit discussed the most important problems from which the COMESA is suffering in the fields of development, infra- structure, transport, information technology, communications, privatization, marine transport, financing and investment. The Djibuti President Ismael Omar Gila opened the activities of the eleventh presidential summit of the COMESA gathering with the participation of seven heads of states, delegations of 21 countries and more than 500 African and international figures. President Gila gave an opening speech in which he called for the importance of the signing of a protocol for establishing a financing fund that can contribute to supporting the development operations in the continent. He confirmed that activating the role of Comesa would contribute to hastening integration in the world economy. President Mubarak demonstrated in his speech to the conference that there are four important sectors that should be developed so that they may be able make use of the growth chances which can be provided through integration in the world economy. These four sectors are : education , technology , infra-structure and institutional reform ,with the participation of the civil society's organizations and the representative of the people. He also stressed the importance of the role of the private sector with the governments together with emphasizing the importance of improving the African productive abilities in order to reach the world markets. Mubarak stated that the COMESA Gathering is considered the foundation stone for integration in the world markets through which the continent countries can overcome the defects and problems of the minor economies. Mubarak also called upon the countries that did not join the free-trade zone to hasten their joining. The Djibouti summit, which witnessed the meetings of the Common Market for the Countries of East and South Africa ”COMESA” issued several recommendations included in its final communiqué whose most important articles were represented in the following: - The summit called for hurrying up in tasking the necessary measures to finalize the regulations and laws organizing the customs union of the Comesa countries by 2008 besides forming the technical committees for preparing the regulations related to the customs dealings for the countries of Comesa with the outside world, in addition to dividing the quotas of the customs' taxes on the countries of Comesa. - Activating the African Development Fund and finalizing its organizational structure so that it will undertake its role in receiving the aids from the granting countries and using them in the development projects in the COMESA countries. - The members of the gathering agreed on the necessity of coordinating the stands with the other regional economic gatherings concerning the questions of liberalizing trade as it is expected to realize the hopes and aspirations of the African peoples in the economic and social coordination process. - The summit approved the conclusions of the peace and security ministerial committee with regard to solving the African disputes quickly, within the framework of the African Union because peace and security are the main bases for the economic development. - The Summit called upon its members who did not join the free- trade zone to hurry up their joining to widen the process of liberalizing trade among the countries of the group and to begin liberalizing the trade in services besides the trade in commodities. - The summit recommended to adopt the report of the ministerial meeting of the group countries which included taking all the measures that will help in deepening the economic integration specially in the fields of infrastructure, energy, seaports, roads and communications and increasing their efficiency as they are considered basic elements for increasing the inter trade. - Agreement on the importance of activating and encouraging the investment authority of the group countries which had been established in Cairo so that it may play its desired role in activating the joint investments. - Recommending to finalize the measures of implementing the payments among the banking authorities and the central banks of the group countries. - Indicating the importance of the private sector as considered one of the basic factors for development in its various fields, and trying to encourage investment in the member states besides offering the necessary and possible facilitations which lead to the flow of the trade movement among them. - Recommending the importance of carrying out the infra-structure projects in the COMESA region based on its importance for trade among these countries. - The final communiqué indicated that the COMESA countries adopted a unified position concerning negotiation with the European union for the sake of pushing forward the slogan of “developments first”. - The next summit of the COMESA countries will be held in the Kenyan capital “Nairobi”.
The idea to hold an international conference to discuss the situation in the Great Lakes Region goes back to more than two decades. However, it was only possible to hold the conference in 2004 in the Tanzanian capital Dar-es- Salaam when regional and international circumstances were appropriate to hold it. On 14-15 December 2006, the 2nd Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region was held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi under the auspices of the UN, the African Union and a number of international organizations which were called the Group of Friends of the Great Lakes Region. The conference was inaugurated by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki. In attendance were 6 of the region's heads of state, namely Burundi's Pierre Nkuruziza, Democratic Republic of Congo's Joseph Kabila, Zambia's Levy Mwanawasa, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, and Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete as well as the prime ministers Makuza of Rwanda and Ali Mohamed Gedi of Somalia, and heads of delegations of Rwanda, Sudan and the Republic of Congo, in addition to UN Secretary General's representative, AU Commission's chairman and a group of experts and specialists in African affairs. Looking into the Summit's activities it is evident that they were dedicated to put into effect the recommendations adopted by the 1st Summit held in Dar- es-Salam in 2004. The conference addressed, in particular, key themes such as: Peace and stability, good governance and democracy, and economic and social development. The conference's agenda also included how to implement Dar-es-Salam Declaration (the African Charter), in addition to discussing the latest developments and the issues of concern to the region as well as signing a number of agreements and protocols. The Summit's most Important Recommendations: - The Summit agreed to sign a regional protocol for peace and security which became the first binding regional legal pact dealing with the social and humanitarian issues, in particular the displaced and refugees' problems. - The Summit also agreed to create a special fund for reconstruction and development in the areas witnessing disputes and troubles with contributions from Kenya, Sudan, Burundi, Central Africa, Angola, Rwanda, Tanzania, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Uganda. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, pledged to offer a contribution of one million US dollars to support the Fund. - Burundi was selected the regional venue of the conference's secretariat with Tanzanian Diplomat, Liberata Mulamula, appointed as First Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. - It was agreed to hold a workshop on women and their role in the African affairs. - It is worthy noting that the Summit was postponed twice at the request of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania till the end of the presidential elections in the two countries. - Egypt participated in the Summit with a delegation headed by Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, Dr Mahmoud Abu Zeid. In his speech before the Summit on behalf of President Hosni Mubarak, Abu Zeid underlined the significance of peace and security in the Great Lakes Region as a base for development. He also pointed out the progress made in strengthening ties between Egypt and the countries of the region and the interest of the political leadership in Egypt to enhance the political, economic and cultural bridges with these countries in all fields. After nearly one year of strenuous negotiations, the Nigerian capital, Abuja, was the venue on 2 December 2006 of a meeting of the AU's Peace and Security Council within the endeavors to establish peace in the Darfur region, West of Sudan. The region has been witnessing since early 2003 the worst ever humanitarian tragedy. The conflict there led to the displacement of nearly 2,5 million people. More than 200,000 people were killed. Thousands of people were exposed to the threat of famine in the refugee camps, while thousands of children were exposed to diseases caused by malnutrition. More than 200,000 people were forced to flee to the neighboring state of Chad, a matter which may lead to the expansion of the scope of conflicts and violence to include the eastern borders of Chad. The area is marked by ethnic composition similar to that of the Darfur region. AU Peace and Security Council held its meeting chaired by Egypt which assumed its one-month tenure of the Council's chairmanship from the first of December. Egypt's efforts during the meeting resulted in issuing a decision extending the AU peace keeping force mandate in Darfur for six months starting from the end of 2006 and renewable for another 6 months, while opening the door for UN logistic support to this force. The Sudanese government agreed to receive 123 international observers in the region. It announced its acceptance of the UN initiative agreed upon in Addis Ababa one month before. Egypt participated in preparing the initiative which came in response to the Sudanese proposal that was submitted to the New York meeting of AU Peace and Security Council last September. The initiative opened the door of hope to solve the problem following intensified contacts which took place between New York, Khartoum and the African Union. Observers, who attended Abuja meeting, described the decision on Darfur as the first turning point towards establishing a permanent peace in Sudan based on the agreements signed between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese factions who thought in the past that international intervention would give them a better chance for separation. In an unexpected development, Sudan announced that it received requests from Eritrea for mediation for holding a round of negotiations with the armed factions rejecting the Abuja agreement. The round of negotiations between the Sudanese government and the rebel armed movements in Darfur resulted in a 60-day ceasefire based on the peace agreement which was signed in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, last may. Meanwhile, the Sudanese armed forces announced that it would merge in the ordinary troops the elements of the armed movements, which signed Darfur peace agreement, starting on 20 January 2007.
Under the new global developments and the end of bi-polarity and the cold war, China started searching for a leading role in the world, particularly in the economic development field achieved by China recently. Such a Chinese vision constitutes a challenge for the US and Europe interests, this is for an excelled Chinese economy that could drive to a developed Chinese military forces. Here, relations cooperation between China and the developing countries seem more significant for China in the framework of its foreign policies, regardless of the ideological difference among the political, social and economic system in China and developing countries. Significance of economic cooperation between China and African countries lies in the suffering hurt these developing countries as a result of the new global system called "globalization". Hence, the African Continent and China, as one of the developing countries, can outline a better sample of economic relations throughout the new international system, particularly that China believes in African-countries rooted principles like equality among states, non-interference in the states' internal affairs, peaceful co-existence and achieving economic reciprocal interests. All these are principles sought by the African countries, but there are some impediments facing the African-Sino cooperation. They can be briefed as follows: A. Challenges And Impediments Facing China: Despite of the economic development achieved by China in the latest years, China faces much intricacy and crises such as high rate of unemployment, as it exceeded 100 millions of unemployed people, in addition to the low standard of the farmers' life and the difficulty to live in the Chinese villages and countryside, this is on the internal situation. On the Chinese int'l situation, the Chinese products aptness to the world markets is not high-leveled. There are other challenges related to administration and its systems, as there are doubts that China could go ahead achieving rates of economic growth that can benefit the US, Europe and Japan. Healthy to say that despite of the Chinese high gross domestic production (GDP), but the GDP per capita does not exceed $ 800 annually if compared to the population rate. If taking the GDP per capita the main measure, this classifies China one of the developing countries until now. On the other hand, the Anglo-American increasing sovereignty in Africa represents a harsh rival for China in Africa. However, the difficulty to insert the Chinese language to Africa if compared to English and French languages. B- Challenges And Impediments Facing Africa: It all in the vein of other obstructions facing the developing countries represented in the low-price of the raw materials that form the volume of the foreign currency upon which any nation depends to plan long-term development. On the contrary, low volume of foreign currency hurdles any ambitious development plans by the developing countries. External debts, also are considered one of the impediments facing any nation, and in Africa it amounted to more than $ 420 billions, a number goes in line with Africa's domestic production that basically depends on the raw materials. Africa, on the other hand, allocates 1/4 of its income to serving these debts, a thing that totally hinders efforts of development in the African nations and will be a further reason for other problems such as poverty and malnutrition. Amongst 34 country of low economy in the world, 24 of them are found in Africa. UN issued reports briefs that there are 35 African countries shoulder heavy debts and 280 millions Africans live at daily income of less than one dollar. Besides, another challenge of desertedness, as Africa is threatened to loose 25% of its agricultural lands because of land corrosion. This, of course will affect on food, particularly seeds in Africa. Low power of purchase, African markets' disability to contain the domestic production and the similar production of the same primary materials are main reasons led to a racing, not integrated status among the African states. Yet, political instability, armed disputes and civil wars are additional reasons, as African continent exposed to more than one hundred military coup d'états during 1960-1995, a thing geared towards impeding the economic development in the continent countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Liberia, DR. Congo, Sierra Leon and Ethiopia. The later country, in particular, witnessed a drop in the GDP by 1.5% resulted from domestic instability and political precariousness. Deterioration of economic positions in Africa has resulted in declining rates and levels of education, health, social security, cultural level, and increasing problems transportation, non-existence of regular transport liner and unavailability of information and date of African markets. This, in addition to fluctuations of local currency, scarcity of foreign exchange, shortage of local capitals as well as the traditional linkage of African market with markets of producers in the west especially the old colonialism such as France and Britain. Among said challenges: - Suffering of many of African countries under the democratic transformations and adoption of the free market system whereas 34 countries in Africa suffer from starvations and food shortage which led to the almost total dependence on abroad to provide for peoples food in addition to the spread of infectious diseases such as AIDS and malaria…etc. - Infrastructure and productivity in many African countries are weak and unstable and we can call it "distorted". - High rates of inflation and the decline of per capita income in many countries and consequently increase of poverty and unemployment. - Weakness of bases of human resources and non-coordination of development fields. - High population growth rates which pressurize resources and utilities and give no opportunity for improving standards of living. - High numbers of refugees whereas there are more than 8 million ones living in deteriorating social and economic positions. - Environmental degradation whether related to the increase or resulted in the increased spaces of desertification, soil degradation, increase of waste green forests in addition to droughts during last years which resulted in food shortage and increase of immigration, refugees and homeless. It was accompanied by instability and ethnic conflicts. - Remarkable deterioration in rates of flows of foreign direct investments. C- Challenges related to the new global system: The world has witnessed steadily growing changes leading us to a real change whether in form and potentials of the system or not. In fact, there is a world changing and its effects had been reflected on the entire world. Many of the third world and African countries have been affected by such changes including: - An absolute monopoly of technology, weapons and money by the capitalist Western countries under tight control of the USA. - The Western European and American aid whether the financial or economic one, technology and also trade exchange are being transferred for the interest of new relations among the North at the expense of the South. - Africa no longer occupies priorities of the US and western European countries as it was during the cold war, so interest was moved to eastern Europe. This means that capitals and investments will flow over these countries and Africa will go downwards its debts. - The int'l current conflict between the major powers focuses on attaining the modern technology to achieve the highest production rate of Plutonium and Uranium, as this renders the owner countries of these element a target for imposing sovereignty. - The Non-Alignment Movement, before and after the new globe system became just an ink written on papers. - Condition of the donor countries became connected with the commitment to implement of democratic conceptions and steps and economic conversions at the African countries, whether competent or incapable. African countries and organizations are required to benefit from the competition and re-construct their relations with the major economic powers like China to launch a new stage of fair exchange. Conclusion Despite these challenges and impediments facing the economic cooperation between Africa and China, the two sides can achieve more cooperation. China started building common enterprises with the African countries and declared the continuity of economic aids to these countries as gifts. Frankly, the structure of imports and exports still less than expectation and light industries are still the most significant Chinese exports to Africa. And, China's joining to the World Trade Organization on November 2001 will contribute in creating more Chinese openness on the world markets, including of course the African countries that have to attract and encourage Chinese businessmen and companies to invest in Africa. The Chinese experiment can also be applied by setting up private industrial areas and establishing the African-Chinese partnership in the frame work of joint economic enterprises, specially in the agricultural domain that achieve reciprocal interests and improve the African infrastructure. Africa's real crisis is basically a structural one and it needs foreign investments, particularly in the agricultural and light industries fields. China is required to write off debts on the African countries by investing its wide global relations and make an economic jump inside the continent's states through building production structures between China and some African countries like Egypt. China also has to develop its trade with many of the African countries in the north and south of the desert. At the same time, African countries should consider the Chinese cooperation as a matter of reciprocal interest throughout a long-term strategic cooperation, not a source for aids. In addition, the African countries are required to tackle comprehensively their problems to achieve stability and security, work as an economic pan-African group to deal with the world economy powers like China. This needs, at least, to coordinate their political and economic policies and agree on public joint rules by which they can confront the mentioned challenges. It is well comprehended that economic freedom does not mean the abandonment of the state's role. Besides, success of these economic programs needs two types of basic structure, which are the financial services required for producing electricity and energy as well as the administrative institution, experienced human labor forces . Absence of these elements would delay any reform programs. Economic reform needs giving interest and develop agriculture, as this is we inspire from the African-Chinese cooperation in a strategic prospect that could refer benefits upon the two sides. Outside this framework, African-Sino relations might stand on aids that will not achieve the inspired development for the continent countries, and at the same time do not realize any benefit for China's economy. Better use of the African markets can provide more development and economic bounds in both China and Africa. This will be an active pattern in the framework of international economic relations that can overcome the negativity of globalization and represents a field of competition amongst world economic pillars on how to make good use of the African economic capabilities. If there is no response to these steps, African economy will be deteriorating to then constitute a danger on Africa and results in unemployment and recession in the economy of major powers including China.
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