The Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi met the Egyptian coordinators of the Forum for China Africa Cooperation Affairs (FOCAC), Ambassadors Ibrahim Ali Hassan and Mahmoud Ahmed Abdel El Gawad, on May 6^th 2009.The two sides discussed the growing, profound friendship between Egypt and China as they prepared for the fourth ministerial meeting of the FOCAC. The year 2009 is significant as it is the final year of the period of implementation of the eight measures announced by the Chinese President Hi Jintao at the Beijing Summit, for promoting economic cooperation with Africa. The meeting, scheduled for later this year, will assess the success of the implementation of the steps listed at the Beijing Summit in 2006. The meeting will be co-hosted by China and Egypt.

FOCAC is a platform that has been established by a set of African countries with China for consultation and knowledge sharing, to develop a cooperation mechanism between developing nations. This forms part of the South-South cooperation endeavors. Besides political initiatives, it reiterates the need for mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation that would lead to higher developmental levels in both Africa and China.

Till now, three FOCAC inter-ministerial Summits have taken place, the first in Beijing in the year 2000, the second in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2003, and the third again in Beijing in 2006. The fourth one is being held in Egypt later this year. Attended by representatives from 48 African countries and senior Chinese officials, each of the meetings have delineated steps taken by China and Africa to strengthen Sino-African friendship. The two sides have been receiving information and details about business opportunities and the needs and requirement s of each. China has pitched in with investments and technical expertise wherever these African nations have felt the need and Africa in turn, has assisted China with raw materials, minerals and opened its mining sector for China.

However, this has not been a haphazard process but a detailed, meticulously planned cooperation initiative and in the 9 years since its inception FOCAC has kept track of the successes in each country.