CAIRO: China is looking toward the fourth ministerial conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) this November as an opportunity to continue to bolster its African presence, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Wu Chunhua said in a an interview with the country's Xinhua news agency. The ambassador believes the conference can be used to expand the Asian country's already growing footprint on the continent. The fourth meeting of FOCAC is scheduled for November at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. “The conference will be held to comprehensively evaluate the achievements after the Beijing summit of the FOCAC in 2006 and draw up a plan on China-Africa cooperation for the next three years,” Wu told Xinhua. “Africa is a continent full of hope and potential,” Wu said. “It is to the benefit of China and Africa to maintain and further advances bilateral ties.” Analysts and observers of economic trends believe China's continued efforts in Africa are beginning to pay off. One analyst told BM recently that China's use of a development plan that expects profit is part of what continues to give them success in Africa. “Unlike throwing money at the situation, China is able to actually make money while doing things in countries that benefit people,” the African expert said, asking that their name remain anonymous. Xinhua states that the FOCAC was jointly proposed and established by China and more than 40 African countries in 2000. It consists of meetings at three levels: the ministerial conference, senior officials meeting, and talks between the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum and the African Diplomatic Mission in Beijing. The first ministerial conference was held in Beijing in October 2000. The second was held in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, in December 2003 and the third in Beijing in November 2006. BM
