On January 28, 2009, special envoy of the Chinese government Zhai Jun, also Assistant Foreign Minister, who is in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa for the 12th African Union (AU) Summit, met with Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU) Jean Ping at AU headquarters.
During the meeting, Zhai made positive comments on the effective efforts made by AU Commission in safeguarding Africa’s peace and stability and pushing forward Africa’s integration. He said the Chinese government will continue to support AU Commission’s work and the united efforts of African countries for self-improvement.
Zhai said recent years have witnessed rapidly growing relations between China and AU with expanding and deepening cooperation in all areas. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the AU conference center project and is confident of building the project into a new milestone for China-Africa friendship.
Jean Ping thanked for the Chinese government’s persistent support and assistance for the AU, expressing willingness to further strengthen cooperation with China in all areas. Jean Ping said the AU conference center is a precious gift that the Chinese government gave to the AU and the African continent. The AU attaches great importance to it and will continue to cooperate closely with China to ensure the successful completion of the project.
Both sides also exchanged views on other issues of common concern.
Following the meeting, both sides signed an agreement on economic and technological cooperation between the Chinese government and the AU Commission. According to the agreement, the Chinese government will once again offer aid to AU for the construction of the conference center project.
