Addis Ababa: The African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mohamed Belhocine, highlighted the importance of China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) to further strengthen the ever-growing China-Africa relationship and broaden South-South cooperation. The Commissioner made the remark at the recent dialogue held in Addis Ababa on the Global Development Initiative (GDI). On the occasion, experts and policymakers from various United Nations (UN) agencies, the African Union (AU) and African countries stressed the need to further bolster China-Africa cooperation across various sustainable development areas. Addressing the gathering, Mohamed Belhocine, the AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, said China-Africa ties have evolved into "an outstanding and mutually beneficial partnership." Describing China-Africa cooperation as "a bright example of South-South cooperation that addresses and harnesses global challenges and opportunities in se veral priority areas," the AU commissioner said the China-proposed GDI has the capacity to further strengthen the ever-growing China-Africa relationship and broaden South-South cooperation. "The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Agenda 2063 (the AU's 50-year continental development blueprint) both provide strategic frameworks for tackling issues confronting Africa and the world at large. In the same vein, the Global Development Initiative builds on the foundations of the SDGs to chart a path towards the realization of a global community," said Belhocine. Belhocine further said China-Africa cooperation has achieved mutually beneficial development outcomes over the years. "The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is a vivid testament to the benefits of a partnership which covers science and technology, peace and security, climate change, education, agriculture, and information and communications technology, among many other sectors." Participants attending the high-level dialogue emphasized the criti cal need to promote synergy in development plans and strategies to enhance broader China-Africa cooperation as the two sides strive to realize the vision of the GDI, according to Xinhua. Three years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, calling for building a consensus on pursuing development, promoting shared growth and helping accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Source: Ethiopian News Agency