The conference"China and Africa: shaping the economies of the future" was held in Beijing recently (PHOTO BY LIU JIAN)

As China deepens its cooperation with African countries, the focus will be on promoting green and sustainable development and renovating cooperation modes in China-Africa environmental protection, said Li Ganjie, China's Vice Minister for Environmental Protection and Secretary General of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) at the "China and Africa: Shaping the Economies of the Future" conference recently held in Beijing.

As developing countries, China and most African countries face similar environmental problems and challenges. "To realize green economy and sustainable development, we should think about our own strategic priorities, and choose our own strategic pillar industries and find the direction of development," said Nolana Ta-Ama, Ambassador of Togo to China and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in China.

In addition, Ta-Ama stressed that "we must stop the trend of damaging nature, and develop the economy in harmony with nature, protect our historical and cultural heritages, and realize economic sustainable development."

James P. Leape, Director General of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International, emphasized the value of natural capital for Africa's sustainable development at the conference. He also put forward 40 recommendations, covering areas in extraction and use of natural resources, investment and financial cooperation, and clean energy. The hope is to ensure that green economy and sustainable development underline the development opportunities carried by China-Africa cooperation.

"For a win-win partnership between China and Africa, priority should be given to in loco transformation of our resources, using environmentally friendly approaches, thus creating added value to the products and giving them better chances to access the global market, including the Chinese market," said Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana, Liaison Office Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

"In doing so, Africa could greatly benefit from the economic returns, such as technology transfer and job creation, while China could boost its investments in Africa and count on steadfast support from Africa in the international arena," she added.

The event was co-organized by CCICED and WWF. Ambassadors of Togo, Mauritius, Tanzania, Kenya and other African countries to China, representatives from China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the African Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, China-Africa Development Fund and other organizations attended the conference.

James P. Leape, Director General of WWF International spoke at the conference "China and Africa: shaping the economies of the future" (PHOTO BY LIU JIAN)

Delegates exchanged ideas at the conference "China and Africa: shaping the economies of the future" (PHOTO BY LIU JIAN)

Delegates at the conference"China and Africa: shaping the economies of the future" (PHOTO BY LIU JIAN)