China and Africa have both attached high importance to the implementation of follow-up actions of the 2nd Ministerial Conference of FOCAC and have taken many positive measures. Now everything is going smoothly. Some follow-up actions have materialized and some have seen substantive progress.

  By the end of July, 2004:

• China-Africa political exchanges continue to increase. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Egypt, Gabon and Algeria early this year. Vice President Zeng Qinghong visited Tunisia, Togo, Benin and South Africa in June. The Presidents of Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda, Mali and Namibia and several vice presidents and prime ministers of African countries visited China successively.
• China and Africa have further enhanced their cooperation in the fields of peace and security. China has dispatched three teams, namely, a transportation team, an engineer team and a medical team, to take part in the peacekeeping mission in Liberia and has sent military observers to the UN peacekeeping forces in Cote d'Ivoire and Burundi respectively.
• China has stepped up its cooperation with African countries in human resources development. China has increased financial input, enlarged the scale of training programs, and established the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Mechanism on Foreign Human Resources Development Cooperation. The Chinese side will continue to dispatch trainers to Africa to give short-term training courses and is actively exploring the possibility of sending youth volunteers to Africa.
• Substantive progress has been made in the exemption of tariffs for certain commodities exported from 28 least developed African countries that have diplomatic relations with China. China has worked out an initial list of commodities from certain African countries that enjoy tariff-free treatment and the corresponding rule of place of origin and has sent relevant documents to the governments of those countries. Talks are underway between China and those countries.
• "Meet in Beijing", a month-long international art festival with African culture as the main theme, was held successfully in Beijing from late April to early May. A large cultural event "Voyage of Chinese Culture to Africa" was formally launched in South Africa in July. "China-Africa Youth Festival" is scheduled to be held in Beijing from 22 to 31 August.
•  Progress has been made in giving 8 African countries the approved destination status for outbound Chinese tourists who cover their own travel expenses. The Chinese side has signed MOUs with 8 countries.
•   The Chinese Government believes that with the concerted efforts of the Chinese and African sides, the FOCAC Addis Ababa Action Plan will be successfully implemented and will breathe fresh vitality into the friendly relationship between China and Africa.