China implements 100 clean energy projects to aid Africa

Oct. 28, 2011 - news.xinhuanet.com

HANGZHOU, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has been carrying out clean energy projects in more than ten African countries to help the continent -- believed one of the largest victims of climate change by some experts -- tackle the multiple effects it brings, a foreign affairs official said.

In order to improve African countries' abilities to adapt to climate change, China has been actively implementing 100 clean energy projects including solar power, biogas and small hydropower projects in Africa, said Lu Shaye, director-general of the Department of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the on-going China-Africa Think Tank Forum (CATTF) held in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

Lu said China has worked out country-specific plans and signed exchange of notes on setting up projects with 11 countries, including Ethiopia and Mozambique. Relevant projects will start in the near future.

Experts say while Africa contributes only 4 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, it is the continent most affected due to its lack of capacity to adapt to climate change, including persistent drought that destroys farm produce and threatens the already fragile food security in some parts of Africa.

Africa is energy resource rich but power poor. According to Africa Union Commission document, at current trends less than 40 percent of African countries will reach universal access to electricity by 2050.

"We want to tell Africa that when they are developing the energy sector, they should learn from China's experience not to take the format of polluting-and-then-cleaning-up. Africa should develop clean energy from the very start," said Pang Zhongying, a professor of International Relations at Renmin University of China.

The 100 clean energy projects were proposed by Premier Wen Jiabao at the fourth ministerial conference of the Forum On China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2009 as part of the eight new measures the Chinese government has taken to strengthen China-Africa cooperation.

Since the launch of FOCAC in 2000, China and Africa have cemented solid political and diplomatic ties, significantly boosted economic relations, and broadened areas of cooperation.

China is now Africa's largest trading partner. By the end of 2010, China had invested around 40 billion U.S. dollars in over 2,000 enterprises from 50 African countries and regions. These companies cover a variety of sectors, including agriculture, mining, manufacturing and finance. Direct investment by Chinese enterprises in Africa amounted to 2.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, an increase of 46.8 percent over the previous year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.

Many scholars attending the CATTF said climate change should be a priority in Sino-African cooperation.

Pang said low-carbon promotion is only a temporary solution to climate change, and that Africa should seek ways to make full use of its resources while developing clean energy.

Pang said the 100 projects can be seen as laying the foundation for long-term Sino-African cooperation to combat climate change.