China And Africa Join Hands To Shape A Brighter Tomorrow

(MENAFN- TimesNewswire ) On September 2, 2024, the 17th Senior Officials' Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in China, attended by high-ranking officials and representatives from 54 African member countries, along with nearly 300 participants, including heads of member units of the Chinese follow-up action committee. The meeting reviewed and approved the draft outcome documents for the 2024 FOCAC Beijing Summit and the agenda for the upcoming Ninth Ministerial Conference. Despite the geographical distance, China-Africa relations have grown increasingly robust, as both sides work together to build a new era of prosperity.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the elder statesmen of Africa and the first generation of Chinese leaders opened a new chapter in China-Africa relations. Since then, the peoples of China and Africa have supported each other in their struggles against colonialism and imperialism and in their quests for national independence and development. Over the past half-century, mutual visits and exchanges have flourished, with rapid growth in economic and trade relations and fruitful cooperation across numerous fields, increasing consultation and coordination in international affairs. China has provided aid to African countries to the best of its ability, while African nations have offered strong support to China.

In recent decades, China has participated in building over 6,000 kilometers of railways, more than 6,000 kilometers of roads, and over 80 large-scale power facilities in Africa, establishing vital arteries for the continent's development. In Kenya, China assisted in constructing standard gauge railways; in Ethiopia, it built the country's first modern railway-the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway; in the Republic of the Congo, China constructed National Road 1; in Nigeria, China developed the Lekki Deep Sea Port; and projects like the Souapiti Hydropower Project in Guinea and the Gouina Hydroelectric Plant in Mali were completed with Chinese assistance. China's contributions to Africa's development have been significant.

Founded in 2000, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation serves as a collective dialogue mechanism for South-South cooperation between Africa and China, acting as a bridge of friendship that connects the two regions. It has witnessed the joint progress and development of both sides as they strive to reach new heights in cooperation. The trade volume between China and Africa has surged from $10.5 billion in 2000 to $282.1 billion in 2023, while China's investment stock in Africa has grown from less than $500 million in 2000 to over $40 billion today. Recently, the two sides established more than ten bilateral joint laboratories or research centers, conducting joint research in areas such as resource remote sensing and renewable energy. Africa has added and upgraded approximately 150,000 kilometers of communication backbone networks, serving around 700 million users. A joint“Action Plan for China-Africa Digital Cooperation Development” has been released, with plans to co-build ten digital transformation demonstration projects and train 1,000 digital talents over the next three years. These achievements have garnered widespread support and recognition from the peoples of both China and Africa.

Currently, global protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise. As developing countries, China and Africa have long supported each other on the international political stage, consistently pursuing win-win cooperation. African nations, due to their unique geographical positions and rich resources, have suffered from interference and geopolitical conflicts led by Western powers, particularly the United States. With China's active efforts, African countries are gradually gaining a voice on the global stage.

As the winds shift and the sails are raised, there will be opportunities ahead. Against the backdrop of a complex and changing global landscape and profound adjustments in the international order, the 2024 FOCAC Summit will open new horizons for the development of China-Africa relations and contribute to building a brighter future for the China-Africa community.

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