China, Africa pledge to strengthen cooperation on tackling climate change

DAKAR, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) — China and African nations have issued a declaration on climate change cooperation, recognizing that climate change has become a major challenge to the natural ecological environment and social and economic development of China and Africa.

The Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held on 29-30 November, 2021, and will play in further substantiating the Sino-African comprehensive strategic partnership and improving the quality and efficiency of bilateral cooperation.

The event Senegal is hosting in its capital, Dakar, which attended by representatives of all 54 members of the FOCAC, and the African Union Commission, is set to release not only a three-year action plan, but also a 2035 vision for China-Africa cooperation, and a declaration on joint Sino-African responses to climate change. China has been Africa’s largest trade partner for the past 12 years.

Both sides unanimously recognize the initiatives and great contributions made by China, the largest developing country, and Africa, the continent with the largest concentration of developing countries, in cooperation on adapting to and mitigating climate change, said the declaration.

Noting that addressing climate change and the resulting migration activities is a challenge facing all mankind, both China and Africa urge the world to work together under the multilateral framework.

Developed countries should earnestly fulfill their funding obligations to help developing countries, especially African countries, to cope with climate change, and strive to fill the gap with pledged 100 billion U.S. dollars per year by 2020 as soon as possible, the declaration said.
China and Africa pledge to jointly safeguard the reasonable rights and interests of China and Africa as well as other developing countries, and will hold a high-level forum on China-Africa climate change cooperation under the framework of South-South cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative, the declaration said.

The two sides agreed to advocate innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared sustainable development, and will work for the “green recovery” of the post-epidemic world economy, it added.

Ethiopian and Chinese workers build an off grid solar power station, allowing the village to instal road lamps, and the villagers to use home appliances like electric fans and televisions.

SOURCE: Xinhua 02 Dec 2021. http://www.news.cn/english/africa/2021-12/02/c_1310345890.htm