On June 16, with the Deputy Chairperson of AU Commission Erastus Mwencha, Deputy China International Trade Representative Zhang Xiangchen who was visiting Ethiopia, signed the Memorandum of Understanding Between Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the African Union Commission on Conducting Cooperation of the African Center of Disease Control and Prevention (African CDC) (hereinafter referred to as the MOU).

The MOU aimed to implement Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Commitments at the opening ceremony of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in December 2015 that China would take part in the construction of African public health prevention and control system like African CDC and the capability construction. The aim is to help African countries strengthen public health prevention and control system, to combat the complex and severe challenges of public health.

According to the MOU, China will support AU to build the African CDC in an all-round manner, and will provide assistance within its ability in the infrastructure construction of the center and the operation management after the completion.

The idea of constructing the African CDC was put forward by AU in 2013, and it will be the first regional public health agency in Africa after its completion. China has provided the assistance of US$ 2 million in cash to AU commission, to help with the human resources construction and site selection of the center. China will dispatch expertise on public health to the headquarters of AU to participate in the preparation and construction of African CDC.

Erastus Mwencha thanked China for supporting the preparation and construction of African CDC on behalf of AU, and spoke highly of China’s rapid and practical implementation. He hoped that the two parties would, together with other parties, promote the completion of the center, so as to benefit the African people.

(All information published on this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only.)