Nairobi, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- At present, the new crown pneumonia epidemic has been repeatedly delayed, and the vulnerability of the world economy has become more prominent, with developing countries bearing the brunt. Food shortages, high inflation, climate change and other factors have impacted many African countries. Promoting more inclusive, inclusive and resilient development has become a common expectation.
In recent years, the Chinese and African peoples have supported each other and watched over each other, China-Africa economic and trade exchanges have become increasingly close, and infrastructure cooperation has gradually deepened. Under the impetus of the Belt and Road Initiative and the mechanism of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China-Africa pragmatic cooperation in various fields has been continuously promoted, further improving the well-being of the Chinese and African people and injecting new impetus into the construction of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.
On August 2, 2019, at the site of the Lobito railway project in Angola, employees of the Benguela Railway Project of the 20th Bureau of China Railway carried out railway maintenance. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Liu Zhi)
The Belt and Road Initiative promotes connectivity
In Oromia Prefecture, Ethiopia, a 56.5-kilometer highway project undertaken by CCCC First Public Office Group was recently completed. This new road will completely change the way villagers travel along the route and greatly shorten the travel time, ending the history of the surrounding villages and towns without roads.
Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, African countries have actively participated. By the end of 2021, 52 of the 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China and the AU Commission have signed cooperation documents with China to jointly build the Belt and Road.
In Viana, Luanda Province, Angola, the showroom of the headquarters building of China Railway 20th Bureau Group Angola International Company displays honorary certifications obtained over the years, including "Excellent Enterprise" and "Integrity Performance Unit" awarded by the Angolan government.
China Railway 20th Bureau Group once undertook the construction of the 1,344-kilometer-long Benguela Railway. During the pandemic, the Benguela Railway allowed a large amount of supplies to be transported to the interior of Angola, becoming the African country's "lifeline" in the fight against the epidemic. Zhu Qihui, chairman of Angola International, said that through the cooperation of the "Belt and Road", Chinese enterprises have brought technology, experience and standards to the local area, and local employees have learned technology, increased their income and improved their lives.
In recent years, under the framework of the "Belt and Road", more and more China-Africa cooperation projects have taken root in Africa. Cameroonian economist Ronny Ngenkou said: "The Belt and Road Initiative is based on cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results, providing opportunities for cooperation in multiple fields between Africa and China, and bringing great contributions to Africa's development. ”
Ethiopian coffee photographed in the food and agricultural products exhibition area of the 5th CIIE. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Ying
China's new development, Africa's new opportunities
Not long ago, at the 5th China International Import Expo, Ethiopian coffee, Rwandan peppers, Kenyan avocados, Zambian honey and many other African products were unveiled, which were loved by Chinese enterprises and consumers.
Arun Rutaysire, head of the Rwandan Farmers Coffee Company located in the Gicondo district of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, said that since participating in the Expo, the company's sales in the Chinese market have continued to grow, and it has expanded its partners and gradually integrated into the international market.
At the eighth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in November last year, China announced the establishment of a "green channel" for the export of African agricultural products to China, aiming to further promote China-Africa trade. According to China's Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade between China and Africa reached US$254.2 billion in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 35%. China has maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years. According to statistics, China is the second largest destination country for African agricultural exports, and the average annual growth rate of African agricultural exports to China has reached 11.4% in recent years.
Since its establishment in 2000, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has become an important platform for collective dialogue and an effective mechanism for practical cooperation between China and Africa. Under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China has successively announced the "Ten Major Cooperation Plans", "Eight Major Actions" and "Nine Projects" for Africa, so as to continue to provide opportunities for Africa with its own development.
Sharif Ghali, head of the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Abuja in Nigeria, said that by taking the express train of China's economic development, African countries are expected to promote industrial innovation, technological development and new industrialization, and share the opportunities of the Chinese market. African countries can accelerate the recovery process by allowing more agricultural and energy products to enter the Chinese market as well as the global market.
In Lauterye village, Bangkure district, Kano State, Nigeria, technicians install and commission solar home lighting equipment. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Jun
China's experience inspires inclusive development
In October this year, Kenya's first China-Africa Agricultural Development and Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Village was launched in Matangitisa Village, Nakuru County, becoming one of the first demonstration villages built in Africa by the "Belt and Road' South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education Science and Technology Innovation Alliance". Ovino, director of the Nakuru County Department of Agriculture, expressed hope that China's advanced agricultural technology will help local farmers increase their income and reduce poverty.
Poverty is a prominent challenge plaguing global development and governance. China has always been an active advocate and strong promoter of global poverty reduction. According to a World Bank study, the Belt and Road Initiative will lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million out of moderate poverty. China has also put forward a global development initiative, adhering to the concept of development first and people-centered, establishing an international non-governmental poverty reduction cooperation network, actively preparing for the establishment of the Global Alliance of Partners for Poverty Reduction and Development, promoting the sharing of experience in poverty reduction, and enhancing the fairness, effectiveness and inclusiveness of development.
Earlier this month, PowerChina donated a batch of solar home lighting equipment in Lauterye Village, Bangkure District, Kano State, northern Nigeria, freeing the entire village from relying solely on charcoal or kerosene lamps for lighting. This is one of the "100 Enterprises and 1000 Villages" activities initiated by China in the Non-CSR Alliance. In the next few years, at least 100 Chinese non-governmental enterprises will participate in the implementation of at least 1,000 activities or projects to benefit the people, promoting sustainable local economic, social and environmental development.
Kostantinos, a professor at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, believes that for African countries, China's development achievements have stimulated greater aspirations for socio-economic progress and inclusive development in developing countries.
Gurry believes that China's achievements in poverty alleviation are unprecedented, and some pioneering practices are worth learning from developing countries. "China's poverty alleviation has shown developing countries that poverty is not invincible." (Participating reporters: Wang Ping, Guo Jun, Ji Li, Li Cheng, Jin Zheng, Liu Chang)