China, Africa ready to deepen cooperation in water conservancy: spokeswoman

China will continue to promote the sustainable use of global water resources with all parties, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

Four ancient Chinese irrigation sites, including the Karez Wells in Turpan of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Huizhou Weirs in east China's Anhui Province and the Wuyuan Weirs in east China's Jiangxi Province (joint application), the Fengyan Terraces in Hanyin County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and the Jufeng Weirs in Xiushan County of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, were honored on Tuesday as World Heritage Irrigation Structures.

Mao extended congratulation on this.

"China has a long tradition of water management. Dujiangyan Irrigation system, Karez wells and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal are all well-known water conservancy projects. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), China's water conservancy construction has achieved fruitful results, providing a strong guarantee for economic and social development and the people's peaceful and happy life. It also offered valuable experience for the world to cope with the shared issue on water,"said Mao.

Mao said water cooperation is a crucial part of China-Africa cooperation and China will continue to promote cooperation with all parties.

"Over the past few days, people have been following closely the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing. Water cooperation is also an important part of China-Africa cooperation. As the impacts of climate change intensify, many African countries are looking to improve their capacity for water use, management and governance. China and African countries continue to deepen cooperation in water conservancy and actively share successful experience and mature technologies through capacity building, joint research and project cooperation," said the spokeswoman.

"Chinese enterprises have carried out many landmark projects and 'small and beautiful' projects in the fields of water supply, flood control, irrigation and hydropower station construction in Africa, providing 'Chinese solutions' for African countries to achieve comprehensive water resources management and sustainable use. In the future, we will continue to work with all parties, including African countries, to strengthen international cooperation and promote the sustainable use of global water resources,"she said.

China, Africa ready to deepen cooperation in water conservancy: spokeswoman

The China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum is expected to bring new vitality to the global development and human civilization, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Beijing.

Petro, who delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum on Wednesday, told China Media Group (CMG) in an interview, while giving a special mention of the importance of the forum as a platform to reshape multilateralism.

"This Forum, held here in China, comes at a pivotal moment in history. And that's precisely what makes it so significant. It is taking place at a time when multilateralism is in urgent need of reshaping. There are some powers who believe they can rule the world through intimidation and shows of force. But with China and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries standing together, we must make them understand: history is full of hard lessons. Those who once flexed their military might did not prevail. They may have enjoyed momentary success in the past, but this time, history will not repeat itself," he said.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-CELAC Forum's operation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stated in his speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum that under the careful cultivation of both sides over the past 10 years, the China-CELAC Forum has grown from a tender sapling into a towering tree.

Petro hailed the relations between China and LAC countries over the past decade, saying that the cooperation is expected to energize the global development and human civilization.

"Yes, exactly, a tree. A strong and thriving tree, with deep and well-developed roots firmly anchored in the earth. There's no doubt that over the past ten years, trade in physical goods between China and LAC countries has grown substantially. China is involved in building the Bogota metro project. China is also constructing a port in Peru, and many other large-scale infrastructure projects are being advanced through Chinese investment and engineering expertise. When we link the cultural and civilizational threads of China and LAC countries, it's as if we are nurturing a living tree, one that grows tall toward the sky and promises to bring new vitality to the human civilization," he said.

China-CELAC Forum brings new vitality to global development: Colombian president