BEIJING Beijing is urging people to take public transport to reduce the Chinese capital's traffic congestion during an upcoming gathering of African leaders, state media reported Saturday, part of a charm offensive to burnish China's image in Africa.
The capital's Communist Party leadership went over detailed preparations Friday for next month's China-Africa summit, discussing everything from security to what to put on advertising billboards, the city-run Beijing Daily reported. "All facets of work must be conscientiously done to a standard, first-rate level to let our foreign guests feel the Chinese people's warmth and friendship," the newspaper quoted Mayor Wang Qishan as telling the meeting. Traffic police will have to cordon off lanes of major streets for official motorcades and so Beijingers "should try hard to take public transport," the newspaper said. The appeal for public cooperation underscores the importance China is placing on the Nov. 2-5 summit and offers a preview of how Beijing is likely to handle the 2008 Olympics.Both events are considered prime image-building opportunities by Chinese leaders.
The Beijing Daily called the Africa summit "a great task in foreign exchanges this year." Car ownership has soared in recent years, along with China's economic boom, leaving much of the capital mired in daylong traffic jams. To help sustain growth, China has looked to Africa as a market for Chinese consumer goods and a source of oil and other raw materials. Trade has grown tenfold over the past decade to US$40 billion ( 31.7 billion) last year, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, and Chinese companies have invested nearly US$1.2 billion ( 950 million) in Africa, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The Chinese investment is generally welcomed by the African elite. More than 30 heads of state have accepted invitations to next month's summit. But popular opinion is more divided, with China accused of being exploitive. China has been accused of flooding Nigeria and Angola, two important sources of oil, with migrants and shoddy goods. The Chinese role also became an issue in elections in Zambia, a mineral supplier.
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