Diplomatic Envoys of Four African Countries Visit Xinjiang

In Xinjiang， the weather is fine and different kinds of melons and fruits have ripened by June， when Ambassador Cesar Freire De Morais of Cape Verde， Ambassador Paul Chong Leung of Mauritius， Ambassador Sedozan Apithy of Benin， along with Aliou Sall， Economic Counselor of the Senegalese Embassy in China， visited the region under CPAFFC auspices to give briefings on the political， economic and trade situation， as well as the advantages， investment policies and opportunities of their respective countries.

About 100 people from the Xinjiang Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation， Xinjiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade， Xinjiang Academy of Social Science and Xinjiang University of Finance Economics as well as State-owned and private enterprises attended. Nuer Baikeli， Chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， and Wang Pinghai， Mayor of Shihezi City， respectively met and entertained the envoys.

China has become Africa’s second largest trade partner and will soon overtake the United States in front. According to statistics， its exports to Cape Verde， Senegal， Benin and Mauritius now amount to US$2.5 billion， and the four countries’ exports to China have reached US$80 million. An African products exhibition center will soon be established in Yiwu of Zhejiang Province， and several logistics centers for African products will be set up around the country.

Xinjiang and Africa are similar in many aspects. For example， both have hot weather， poor natural conditions， low living standards， but rich natural resources. Among the 138 mineral resources in Xinjiang， the reserves of 10 rank the first nationally and 58 rank among the top 10. Its oil accounts for 30% of the country’s total continental petroleum resources， and natural gas 34% of the national total. Africa is also a continent rich in natural resources， but backward economically. Therefore， African countries and Xinjiang can conduct cooperation more easily on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

At a recent conference on the work in Xinjiang， the Central Government made major decisions and plans to promote rapid development and lasting stability， and launched a series of preferential policies to support the region’s construction and development. Xinjiang is facing a historical opportunity for massive construction， wide opening up and great development. From 2011 to 2020， 19 provinces and municipalities will provide assistance to designated areas in Xinjiang.

At the briefing， Mauritian Ambassador talked about Chinese enterprises developing well in his country economic development zone where the approval procedures of investment projects are simple and rapid. There are many advantages in his country， such as good infrastructure， social stability and annual 30% rate of growth of IT industry. He welcomed Chinese businessmen to invest in his country. But， he said， 80% of the country’s imported oil is used for generating electricity pushing up costs. Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co.， Ltd. (TBEA) headquartered in Xinjiang is China’s largest manufacturer and supplier of solar energy equipment and has promising prospects for cooperation with African countries. Senegalese Economic Counselor Aliou Sall explained that the African Development Bank had initiated a plan to invest in the West African Power System focusing on Senegal， Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.

The Benin Ambassador said labor costs were low in his country and cotton grows in abundance. Due to its good soil and sunshine， Xinjiang is also very suitable for growing cotton in large quantities and has obvious advantages in cotton production and processing. Thus， Benin and Xinjiang have great potential for cooperation in the agricultural field. He also invited agricultural experts from Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps to reclaim wasteland and start up farms in Benin.

The Cape Verde Ambassador suggested that direct flights be launched between Xinjiang and African countries so as to build a modern new “Silk Road” to promote economic and trade development. Now， Xinjiang has become a base for China to process and export commodities to its western neighboring countries and a commodity transfer， collection and distribution center， as well as a great international channel for information and material exchanges.

The visit of the African envoys opened a door leading to Africa for Xinjiang. An historic page will be opened in the annals of bilateral cooperation in energy exploitation and agriculture in particular.