On September 9-10, during the period of “The 17th China International Fair for Investment and Trade”, “China-East African Community Economic Cooperation Forum “was held successfully, which was sponsored by Commerce Ministry and East African Community, co-Sponsored by Burundi , Kenya , Rwanda , Tanzania and Uganda embassy in China.
    Mr.Zhang Liwei, deputy director of department of African Affairs, ambassadors from East African Community, commercial counselor and diplomatic envoys participated in this forum. Dr.Richard Sezibera, the general secretary of East African Community, Mr. Philip Wambugu, the trade representative of industry & facilities and Ms. Marie Angelique UMULISA , the representative of commercial and trade headed a delegation to participate in this forum. Mr. Guohua, the manager of Africa Investment Department of China-Africa Development Fund, Mr.Yang Jun, the president of CWPC and other principal heads of well-known enterprises from different provinces participated in this forum.

 
Mr.Zhang Liwei is making a speech

   “China-East African Community has developed rapidly in recent years and had close economic and trade contacts with China. Both sides are eager to increase investment and establish cooperation in the fields of energy and infrastructures, mining resources and health care, etc.The speech about equipment manufacturing, EPC, investment operation, technologies and service features of CWPC presented by President Yang Jun got a high recognition and positive response from Africa envoys and experts. Participants had an open and deep discussion with President Yang about the energy sources of the countries of East African Community, especially the condition of the power supply construction. Dr.Richard Sezibera said: the total population of East African Community is nearly 150 million, the economy grows rapidly in recent years, but the energy infrastructures including electric power are still very weak, which has become an important factor that restricting the economic development of East Africa. Therefore, in the next five years, East African Community plans to spend more than $14 billion on energy to speed up the construction. He hopes that CWPC can take the advantages from equipment manufacturing, EPC, investment operation, actively help and participate in the economic development for these five countries. He believes that CWPC definitely has the chance to exert its technical strengths in electric power construction, especially in the fields of peat and biomass resources utilization. He invited CWPC to have a direct contact with these five countries in East Africa about specific projects as soon as possible. Dr.Richard Sezibera, on behalf of East African Community, also hopes that CWPC could consider the possibilities for cooperation in the fields of roads and ports construction, etc.

 
                                  A group photo of representatives.President Yang Jun stands next to Dr. Richard Sezibera (black suit) in the first row.

   Mr.Wu Guohua said: African countries, especially the countries of East African Community have been paid great attention from Chinese Government as the important areas for supporting Chinese enterprises to “go out”. For this reason, China Development Bank set up the China-Africa Development Fund of 5 billion dollars to support domestic enterprises to participate in the economic construction and development in Africa. China-Africa Development Fund will actively provide the attending enterprises with helps on capital funding, circulating capital financing for Africa projects.
    The smoothly running of this forum gave envoys a preliminary understanding and a good first impression of CWPC, which has a positive effect of CWPC on exploiting East Africa markets in the future.

Background Information
     East African Community, EAC for short, is a regional international organization composed by Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. In 2004, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania signed the treaty and founded customs union which went  into effect in January 2005. In June 2007, Burundi and Rwanda formally joined East African Community whose member countries increased to five .It had a population nearly 134 million. Member countries took “Swahili culture” as background and formed a unified economic and mutual cooperation community, East African Community for short ,whose aim is to strengthen the cooperation in the fields of economy, society, culture, politics, science and technology and foreign affairs,etc, to coordinate industrial development strategy, develop infrastructures, realize the economic and social sustainable development of member countries , gradually establish customs union, common market, monetary union and ultimately achieve political union.
    The chair man of East African Community Summit is taken up by member counties in turn. The current chairman is Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki who took office in November 2011.The chair man of  the Committee of Ministers is Mr. John Koech. General secretary is Dr.Richard SEZIBERA from Rwanda,who took office in April 2011.
    East African Community is one of the important sub-regional organizations in Africa. The secretariat is located in arusha, Tanzania. In recent years, the economic and trade cooperation between China and East African Community has been developing rapidly. Both sides have wide cooperative prospects in the fields of trade, investment and infrastructure construction, etc. On November 2011, Commerce Department and Secretariat of East African Community established Economic &Trade Joint Trade Committee Mechanism and held the first joint committee meeting in Arusha,which was the first economy and trading consultation mechanism established by  China and Africa sub-regional organizations.