Key Terms to Understand Reform and Opening Up

The China Academy of Translation has analyzed prevailing terms concerning the reform and opening-up policy and translated them into a number of foreign languages. The research institute is affiliated with the China International Publishing Group， the countrys leading international publisher. In each issue， Beijing Review presents a selection of these keywords to help readers more deeply understand this program.

Forum on China-Africa Cooperation

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation （FOCAC） was formally inaugurated at its fi rst ministerial conference in October 2000 in Beijing， upon the joint initiative of China and Africa. It aims to further strengthen friendly cooperation between China and African countries to meet the challenges of economic globalization in search of common prosperity.

The FOCAC promotes understanding， consensus-building， friendship and collaboration through consultation on the basis of equality. FOCAC members comprise China， the 53 African states that have established diplomatic relations with China， and the African Union Commission. The FOCAC ministerial conference is held every three years， and to date seven conferences have been convened.

At the opening of the FOCAC Summit in Johannesburg（South Africa） on December 4， 2015， Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the China-Africa new-type strategic partnership would be upgraded to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. He also proposed 10 plans to boost cooperation in the areas of industrialization， agricultural modernization， infrastructure， financial services， green development， trade and investment facilitation， poverty reduction and public welfare， public health， people-to-people exchanges， and peace and security.

Boao Forum for Asia

The Boao Forum for Asia （BFA） is a nongovernmental and nonprofi t international organization with a fi xed conference date and a fi xed location.

Proposed in 1998 by Fidel V. Ramos， former president of the Philippines， Bob Hawke， former prime minister of Australia， and Morihiro Hosokawa， former prime minister of Japan， the BFA was formally inaugurated on February 27， 2001.

The BFA has become a high-end platform for dialogue among leaders of national governments， industrial and business circles， and academic circles of countries in Asia and the wider world about important issues facing Asia and elsewhere.

The purpose of the BFA is to work from its base in Asia to promote and extend economic exchanges， coordination， and cooperation within Asia and between Asia and other parts of the world. It also aims to create a high-end dialogue platform for governments， enterprises， experts and academics to discuss economic， social， environmental and other relevant issues. Through its networks in political， business and academic circles， the BFA will serve the ever-growing economic cooperation among its members and between its members and other entities.

Boao in south Chinas Hainan Province serves as the permanent site of the BFA headquarters. The BFA has held its annual conference at Boao since 2002.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization （SCO） is an inter-governmental organization comprising China， Russia， Kazakhstan， Kyrgyzstan， Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and was founded in Shanghai on June 15， 2001. Its predecessor was the Shanghai Five established in April 1996. The SCO made its fi rst expansion in June 2017， admitting India and Pakistan as formal members.

Since its very beginning， the SCO has given top priority to security cooperation. Its members signed at their fi rst summit the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism， Separatism and Extremism， making it their major task to fi ght these three evil forces.

The SCOs mission is to build friendship and trust among member states， encourage effective cooperation in political， economic， trade， cultural and other areas， safeguard regional peace and stability， and promote a new international political and economic order that is fair and rational. Between themselves the SCO members have developed the Shanghai Spirit， which is based on mutual trust， mutual benefi t， equality， consultation， respect for cultural diversity， and pursuit of common prosperity. Externally they follow the principle of openness and non-alignment， and their strategies and policies are not directed against any third party or any other region.

The top decision-making body of the SCO is the heads of state council， which meets once a year to decide on major issues. Its heads of government council also meets once a year to discuss priorities and issues of multilateral cooperation. Its two permanent bodies are the secretariat in Beijing （China） and the regional anti-terrorist structure in Tashkent （Uzbekistan）.