CIDCA vice-chairman meets with AFD director

Zhao Fengtao, vice-chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), met with the visiting Director for The Balkans, Middle East and Asia of the French Development Agency (AFD), Cyrille Bellier, on May 24, 2023.

Zhao said that the present international environment is becoming more complex, resulting in the enlarging development gap between the South and the North and the development agenda drifting away. Issues such as food and energy security and development financing are becoming acute concerns of more and more developing countries, especially the least developed countries. The meeting between the two heads of state in April established the blueprint for strengthening communication in various fields and pointed out the direction for both countries to further strengthen international development cooperation. China is ready to work with France to fully implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state, promote the continuous development of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership, and elevate their bilateral cooperation in international development to a higher level, he noted.  

Bellier said that China and France share a lot of common interests in such areas as international development, climate change and biodiversity. The AFD has carried out a large number of cooperative projects in developing countries since its establishment 82 years ago. It shares similar views and approaches with the CIDCA in helping with and supporting the independent development of developing countries. The AFD attaches great importance to establishing a partnership with the CIDCA, and is willing to enhance mutual understanding via regular communication for further cooperation, he said.

Director-General of the CIDCA's Department of International Cooperation Xu Wei, Deputy Director-General of the CIDCA's Department of Supervision and Evaluation Shentu Jiang, and Regional Director of the AFD in China Amélie Aubert also attended the meeting.