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The China-Africa Cooperation forum will take place in early September, bringing together hundreds of high-level officials and decision makers from China and the entire African continent. CGTN has sat down with Guinean President Alpha Conde. He praised the relations between China and Guinea, and called for more cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, technology and health.
HAN YINGYA CGTN REPORTER "Guinea was one of the countries to receive China's assistance in African health care early on. This year coincides with the 50th anniversary of China's deployment of medical teams to Guinea. What are your evaluation and expectations for the medical cooperation between the two countries?"
ALPHA CONDE GUINEAN PRESIDENT "First of all, I want to express my gratitude to China. After the independence referendum in Guinea in 1958, most French doctors withdrew. We were isolated and helpless, and lacked medical resources. The arrival of Chinese doctors was crucial for Guinea. They replaced the French doctors, and since then the two countries have strengthened their cooperation in the medical field. China also built the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital, which has become a famous public hospital in Guinean capital Conakry. With its expansion, our patients basically do not need to pay high fees to be treated in France or Morocco. This not only allows us to heal more patients, but also saves medical costs."
HAN YINGYA "Diplomatic relations between China and Guinea will mark its 60th anniversary next year. How do you evaluate the development of this cooperation? What are your plans and prospects for the comprehensive strategic partnership?"
ALPHA CONDE GUINEAN PRESIDENT "You know that China and Guinea have a long history of cooperation. Guinea is the first country in the Sahara to establish diplomatic relations with China. We are very satisfied with the relationship. Our cooperation with China is not only limited to between governments, but also with the people. Two years ago, we signed a 20-year cooperation agreement with China worth 20 billion US dollars. China provides loans to us, and we export minerals to China. What we hope now is to strengthen local cooperation. We established industrial parks in some areas. We also hope to encourage more Chinese companies to invest in Guinea, be it in agriculture, industry or construction. In terms of management training, China has provided many scholarships for us. We now have a large number of officials training in the fields of military or science and technology in China. China helps us develop important areas, such as health, education and high-technology sectors. In the future, we hope Africa can achieve the sale of completed industrial products instead of raw materials."
HAN YINGYA "The upcoming China-Africa Cooperation Forum is dedicated to advancing the Belt and Road Initiative and building a China-Africa community with a shared and promising future. What opportunities do you think the Belt and Road Initiative brings to China-Africa cooperation? And how do you view Chinese President Xi Jinping's initiative of building a 'community of shared future for mankind'?"
ALPHA CONDE GUINEAN PRESIDENT "The main challenge facing Africa today is achieving industrialization. The land of Africa is very rich, with abundant raw materials and water resources. But to get rid of poverty, the first thing is to achieve industrialization. Through China's assistance, we are now able to generate electricity on our own, and industrialization is inseparable from electrical energy. China also helped us build roads -- a country cannot develop without roads and railways. China also helped us solve an energy problem, which is the basis for Africa's transformation and industrial development. With the help of China, we have developed industrial parks. Thousands of Chinese companies have come to African countries to build factories, and that has driven local employment. I believe the upcoming China-Africa Cooperation Forum will take the cooperation between our two countries a big step forward, especially under the framework of President Xi's new policy. It's now time to see what Africa can do in it."