The central business district project of Egypt’s new administrative capital covers a total area of regarding 505,000 square meters, including 20 high-rise buildings and supporting municipal projects. It is undertaken by the Egypt Branch of China State Construction Engineering Corporation. The picture shows that on August 17, the Egyptian technical engineer Walid Ramadan (right) and the Chinese technical engineer Chen Baihong of the sign tower project were working at the project site.Xinhua News Agency
The meeting of coordinators for the implementation of the outcomes of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held via video link on the 18th. All parties reached consensus on accelerating the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, strengthening the solidarity and cooperation of developing countries, and constantly polishing the “Golden Signboard” of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
For a long time, China has been action-oriented, and under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China has successively announced “ten major cooperation plans”, “eight major actions” and “nine projects” with Africa. China-Africa cooperation has yielded fruitful results and enhanced China-Africa friendship.
Economic and trade cooperation benefits the people of China and Africa
In recent years, driven by platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, and the Africa Good Internet Shopping Festival, more African products have entered China. The sweet and juicy South African oranges, the fragrant Ethiopian coffee, and the delicious and refreshing Namibian oysters have enriched the table of Chinese people and brought a broad market to related industries in Africa. At the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held last November, China announced the establishment of a “green channel” for the export of African agricultural products to China.
In early August, a batch of Kenyan avocados were sold to China. This is the first time that African fresh avocados have been exported to China, and it also marks the closer economic and trade exchanges between China and Kenya and even between China and Africa.
According to statistics, since the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2018, 25 kinds of agricultural and food products from 14 African countries including Kenya, South Africa, Benin, and Egypt have been allowed to export to China. China is the second largest destination country for African agricultural exports. In recent years, the average annual growth rate of African agricultural exports to China has reached 11.4%. In 2021, Africa’s agricultural exports to China will increase by 18.2% year-on-year.
While more African products are entering China, high-quality and cheap Chinese products are also sought following in Africa. Whether in large shopping malls or small street shops, “Made in China” products are dazzling. In addition to clothing and daily necessities, Chinese electronic products, especially mobile phones from TRANSSION, Huawei, Xiaomi and other brands, are very popular in Africa. Data shows that Transsion led the African smartphone market in the fourth quarter of last year, accounting for 47.9% of the market.
According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, the total bilateral trade between China and Africa will reach US$254.3 billion in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 35.3%.
Helping Africa solve development problems
Over the years, Chinese enterprises have been highly recognized by all walks of life in Africa for their high construction efficiency and good quality. Many projects undertaken by Chinese companies have taken root in Africa, providing Chinese solutions to solve the problems of lagging infrastructure and lack of talents in the local area.
Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Chinese enterprises have added and upgraded more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, nearly 1,000 bridges, nearly 100 ports, and a large number of hospitals and schools in Africa, creating more than 100,000 jobs. 4.5 million. Africans generally hailed it as a “respectable” achievement.
Taking Kenya as an example, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway built by a Chinese company has been open to traffic more than five years ago, and the average occupancy rate has exceeded 90%. Some experts estimate that the project’s contribution to Kenya’s GDP exceeds 2%. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has also created nearly 50,000 jobs for Kenya and trained more than 1,700 high-quality railway professional technical and management personnel. The British “Daily Telegraph” listed it as one of the 13 most popular railways in the world.
Since the beginning of this year, the Senegal Fangjiuni Bridge, the Ghana Tamale City Overpass, the first phase of the Kafue River Water Supply Project in Zambia, and the Cameroon Kribi-Lolabe Expressway and other projects undertaken by Chinese companies have been completed or put into use. On the land of Africa, China-Africa cooperation projects continue to write splendid chapters of mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation between China and Africa.
China-Africa cooperation widely praised
Whether China-Africa cooperation is good or not, African countries and people have the most say.
In June, the “2022 African Youth Survey” report commissioned by the Ichkowitz Family Foundation in South Africa showed that 77% of respondents believed that China was the most influential country outside Africa on the African continent. According to the report, China’s investment and support for Africa’s infrastructure construction, high-quality and affordable commodities, export opportunities for African products, and job creation for local people are the main reasons for African youth to affirm China’s positive influence on Africa.
According to a survey report released by the Kenyan think tank Interregional Economic Network in July, in international cooperation with Africa, China has been highly recognized by Africans in terms of infrastructure construction, rapid decision-making and the timeliness of project completion. The report pointed out that China’s cooperation projects in Africa, such as railways, highways, bridges, ports, buildings and dams, are real and impressive.
Facts and figures have proved that China-Africa cooperation has injected unprecedented vitality into Africa’s development. In the minds of African people, China has brought a positive impact on Africa’s economic and social development. No matter how the international situation changes, China’s cooperation with Africa has always adhered to the concept of sincerity, amity, sincerity and pragmatism, as well as the extraordinary “Chinese speed” and “Chinese quality” displayed by Chinese enterprises, which will surely promote the further improvement of China-Africa cooperation.
(Reporter Zhu Shaobin, Xinhua News Agency, Nairobi, August 19)