Call for China, Africa to be 'greener'

Ambassadors from African countries, officials from the Chinese government, representatives from financial institutions, research institutions and international organizations gathered to call for China and Africa to go "green" in future cooperation on Monday.

Li Ganjie, vice-minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said China and African countries are faced with the same pressure from the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization.

"It is our mutual goals to effectively promote environmental protection when maintaining economic development," he said at the seminar taking place three days before the fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held in Beijing on Thursday and Friday.

Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization Liaison Office with the United Nations and former foreign minister of Madagascar, said at the seminar that Africa alone cannot meet its sustainable development challenges as it has too little a voice within international institutions such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organization.

"China could certainly echo the voice of Africa to ensure that the continent's specific needs are taken into consideration and to advocate for the inclusion of criteria favoring investment in green economy projects in Africa," she said.

As to the meaning of a green economy, Liu Guijin, dean of the China Africa International Business School at Zhejiang Normal University and former Chinese ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe,said: "The first phase of green is environmentally friendly." He added the Chinese government and financial institutions should give more support to environmentally friendly enterprises in the future.

The second meaning of green is to benefit the local people, he said, pointing out that some small Chinese enterprises in Africa lack an incentive to hire local people and so have hindered African people's ways of making a living.

"To solve the problem requires relevant law enforcement from both China and Africa," said Liu.

"Green, in a larger phase, should also mean peace and safety. I'm looking forward to more policies made at this year's forum between top leaders of China and Africa to help promote this issue."

As China has become Africa's largest trading partner, the World Wide Fund for Nature, one of the organizers of the seminar, put forward 40 recommendations to ensure that the green economy and sustainable development will be placed at the core of the China-Africa relationship.

"The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is an opportunity to establish a new model of cooperation between emerging economies and developing countries," said Jim Leape, director-general of WWF International.

In particular, he recommended collaboration to foster a business framework where commodities such as timber are sourced and traded in a responsible way, as key resources of local communities.

He also suggested that China use its leadership position in renewable energy to help Africa increase energy access through clean energy sources.

"At the same time, China should be compelled to help African countries face an unprecedented wildlife crisis due to poaching activities serving mostly the Asian and Chinese market for ivory and rhino horn," said Leape.

Contact the writer at wuwencong@chinadaily.com.cn