BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman of China's Ministry of Commerce
said here Thursday that China has provided aid to 53 African countries over the
past 50 years and the aid carried "no political conditions".
Spokesman Chong Quan told a press conference that China has helped African
nations build nearly 800 complete sets of projects in the past five decades.
He made the remarks while introducing to the press
economic and trade cooperative ties between China and seven African countries
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is scheduled to visit later this month.
Wen will embark on a week-long visit to Egypt, Ghana, the Republic of
Congo, Angola, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda from June 17 to 24.
Last year, Chong said, China's trade with the seven countries amounted to 21.13
billion U.S. dollars, accounting for half of the volume of China's African
trade.
South Africa was China's biggest trade partner in Africa. Angola the
second, the Republic of Congo the fifth, and Egypt the sixth.
In the first three months of this year, China's trade with the seven
African nations totaled 6.56 billion dollars, up 168.2 percent from a year
earlier.
Chong said Sino-African economic and trade ties have developed "fast and
steadily" based on the principle of equality, mutual benefit and common
development through various means.
In 2005, China and African bilateral trade came to 39.74 billion dollars,
doubling that of 2000, with China's export to African countries standing at
18.68 billion dollars, and China's import from the African continent totaling 21
billion dollars.
According to Chong, in the January-March period of this year, China's trade
with the African continent surged 52 percent year-on-year to 11.54 billion
dollars.
He said China's accumulated direct investment in the African continent
reached 1.18 billion dollars by the end of 2005, with China-invested projects
scattering in 49 African countries.
He noted China has also helped African countries train thousands of various
special technical personnel. Enditem
