STORY: China-Africa relations taken to new stage after FOCAC summit: U.S. expert
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 7, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 8, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:44
LOCATION: Washington
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WILLIAM JONES, Washington bureau chief of U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review
3. various of China's infrastructures
4. various of China-aided projects in Africa
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): WILLIAM JONES, Washington bureau chief of U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review

STORYLINE:

The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Beijing from Sept. 4 to 6.

China said that, in the next three years, the country will work with Africa to implement 10 partnership actions for modernization to deepen China-Africa cooperation and spearhead the Global South modernization.

Bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China have been elevated to the level of strategic relations.

The overall characterization of China-Africa relations has been elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WILLIAM JONES, Washington bureau chief of U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review
"I think it's taken the relationship to a new stage, a tremendous amount of optimism and tremendous amount of support for the African countries. This was the largest gathering of African leaders outside the continent, showing the support that the principles enunciated by China in its development policy have won tremendous confidence and trust from the African countries, and I believe, at this point, the relationship, which now has been expanded to a number of new bilateral strategic partnerships between China and African countries, will now move to a much higher stage.
China is a major country which had worked its way out of poverty in a very short period of time by concentrated effort on developing infrastructure, on developing human resources, has now become a model for Africa. China, of course, is pursuing a policy of helping them do that."

Jones believes that China's approach to its relations with Africa is a model worth emulating.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): WILLIAM JONES, Washington bureau chief of U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review
"Other countries who are interested in developing Africa, have a lot to learn from the way China has proceeded in its relationship with Africa. It has been a process that has been characterized by the five principles of peaceful coexistence. They are not imposing a structure on these nations. They are not placing unreasonable demands on changes in the political or social habits that exist in the country, but they're trying to help these countries find their own road to development, and by doing that, of course, they have won a tremendous amount of trust and confidence from these countries.
It has created a tremendous amount of optimism within Africa. And I think other countries who wish to go in to assist in this endeavor will have to follow the path that has been charted by China in respecting the sovereignty and the independent development paths of the countries in Africa in doing that."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington.
(XHTV)