CRI听力:China Calls for Deepening Asia-Africa Cooperation

President Xi says Asia- Africa cooperation will create new opportunities and develop new global circumstances.

"We should keep pursuing common development, align our development strategies, and translate our economic congruence into a driving forth for common growth. We should strengthen the inter-connectivity of infrastructure construction and promote cooperation between industry, agriculture, and human resources. We should also deepen our regional and inter-regional development to promote the freedom and feasibility of trade and investment. "

The president stresses the move will help countries to achieve mutual economic growth.

Referring to South-South cooperation, he points out that developing countries are faced with the similar missions of speeding up development and improving people's living conditions, and they need to join forces and march forward together.

On a wider scope, President Xi also urges coordination to push rich countries to realize their obligations to developing countries.

"Boosting the development of their developing peers and narrowing the South-North gap is a binding obligation of the developed world. Developed countries need to fulfill their aid commitments and increase assistance to developing nations with no political strings attached so as to enhance the capability for self-development within developing countries and to establish a more equal and balanced new global partnership."

The president adds China will unswervingly promote Asia-Africa cooperation under the new circumstances.

He announced that China will grant duty-free priveleges to the least developed countries with which it has diplomatic ties on 97 percent of imported products, and will do so within the year.

Meanwhile he adds China will continue to offer assistance for developing countries with no political strings attached.

"China will offer 100,000 training places for developing countries in the Asia-Africa region. And we'll continue to host the Asia-Africa Youth Festival and invite 2000 young people from countries on these two continents to join the festival. China will also establish a China-Asia-Africa cooperation center to promote further cooperation among countries in the regions. "

The president adds China will hold an international seminar themed with carrying on the Bandung Spirit and welcomes all parties to participate.

For CRI I'm Guo Yan.