The2018BeijingSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC),whichattractedleadersfrommorethan50Africancountries,witnessedcommitmentfrombothsidestoforgeastrongerChina-Africacomprehensivestrategicandcooperativepartnership.Inaddition,bilateralrelationsbetweenChinaandindividualAfricancountriesalsogainedmomentumforfurtheradvancementbydintofthemultilateralplatform.Beforeandafterthesummit,attheinvitationofChineseleaders,headsofstateandgovernmentfrom10AfricancountriesincludingEthiopia,Egypt,SouthAfrica,BotswanaandCoted鈥橧voirepaidvisitstoChina,withfruitfulbilateralcooperationdealssigned.
HeWenping,aresearcherattheInstituteofWest-AsianandAfricanStudiesundertheChineseAcademyofSocialSciences,saidthatsincetheestablishmentoftheFOCACmechanism,bothmultilateralandbilateralcooperationbetweenChinaandAfricancountrieshaverealizedleapfrogdevelopment.UnderthecooperationframeworkoftheFOCACinrecentyears,cooperationinthefieldsoftrade,investment,constructionassistance,people-to-peopleexchangesandfinancebetweenthetwosideshaveallseenrapidexpansion.
Accordingtothescholar,notonlyhasChinabeenAfrica鈥檚largesttradingpartnerforeightconsecutiveyears,AfricahasalsobecomeChina鈥檚thirdlargestoverseasinvestmentmarketandthesecondlargestoverseasengineeringcontractmarket.Bytheendof2017,China鈥檚investmentstockinAfricahadexceeded$100billion,whilemorethan3,500Chinesecompanieswereoperatingonthecontinent.
A2017fieldstudybyMcKinsey&Co.foundthatinsome1,000ChinesecompaniesoperatingineightAfricancountries,89percentoftheemployeeswerelocal.Twothirdsofthesecompaniesprovideon-thejobtrainingforlocalemployeesandabouthalfofthemhavesetupapprenticeworkshopsorschools.LeadingglobalaccountingfirmErnst&YoungsaidinareportlastyearthatChineseinvestmentinAfricacreatedmorethanthreetimesthenumberoflocaljobsthanthatoftheUnitedStatesin2016alone.Sincetheintroductionofthe10majorcooperationprogramsatthe2015FOCACJohannesburgSummit,Chinesecompanieshavecreatedabout900,000jobsinAfricaandprovidedtechnicalorvocationaltrainingforover200,000Africanpeople.
What鈥檚more,despiteincreasingglobaleconomicinstabilityandrisingprotectionism,China-Africacooperationhasbeenpioneeringandinnovative.In2017,thetotalimportandexporttradebetweenChinaandAfricareached$170billion,up14.1percentyearonyear.
Closerrelations
ChinesePresidentXiJinpinghighlightedthatAfricancountriesareChina鈥檚truefriendsandcalledonbothsidestofirmlysupporteachotheronissuesconcerningtheircoreinterestsandmajorconcerns.ThedefiningfeaturesofChina-Africarelations鈥攕incerity,friendship,mutualrespect,equality,mutualbenefitandcommondevelopment鈥攔emainunchangedinthenewera.
Ethiopiaisoftenmentionedas鈥渢heChinaofAfrica鈥漚ndtheEthiopianGovernmentseesChinaasamodelfordevelopment.BypursuingadevelopmentpathsimilartoChinainrecentdecades,thecountryhasaveragedabout10percentgrowthoverthepast10years.
DuringhisvisittoChina,EthiopianPrimeMinisterAbiyAhmedAlihailedChinaasareliablefriendinthecourseofEthiopia鈥檚development,andsaidChina鈥檚invaluableassistancehasalwaysbeencrucialtoEthiopia鈥檚economicrestructureandachievements.AbiyalsosaidEthiopiahopestoactivelyparticipateinthebuildingoftheBeltandRoadInitiative,broadenbilateralexchangesandcooperationandstrengthencoordinationininternationalaffairswithChina.
AbiyalsopraisedtheroleChineseenterpriseshaveplayedintheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentofhiscountry,anddeclaredthatEthiopiaiswillingtostrengthenhumanresources,energyandinfrastructurecooperationwithChina,improvethebusinessenvironmentandwelcomeChinesecompaniestoinvestinEthiopia.
BotswananPresidentMokgweetsiMasisi鈥檚visittoChinamarkedahistoricmilestoneinthedevelopmentofChina-Botswanarelations.InaninterviewwithChinesemedia,ZhaoYanbo,ChineseAmbassadortoBotswana,notedthatChinahasfundedover40Botswananprojectsrangingfromrefurbishingrailways,constructinghousingandbuildingprimaryschools.Moreover,Chinesemedicalteamshavetreatedmorethan2millionpeopleinBotswanasince1981.ChinanowisthesecondlargestconsumerofBotswanadiamonds,anditisalsooneofthecountry鈥檚largestprojectcontractorandmajortradingpartner.
DuringhisvisittoBeijing,MasisisaidChinaisanimportantforceintheinternationalcommunityandakeypartnerofdevelopingcountriesandheagreedtoraisethebilateraltiestoanewhightogetherwithChineseleaders.
InthemeetingwithCoted鈥橧voirePresidentAlassaneOuattarainBeijing,XisaidChinaandCoted鈥橧voireshouldtakepromotingtheBeltandRoadInitiativeasanopportunitytoseekgreatersynergybetweendevelopmentstrategiesandpromotinghighqualityandsustainabledevelopmentofthetwocountries.TheleaderofCoted鈥橧voireexpressedhisadmirationofChina鈥檚reformandopening-upachievementsaswellashissolidsupportfortheBeltandRoadInitiativeproposedbyXifiveyearsago,addingthatCoted鈥橧voirewillpressaheadwiththeWestAfricanEconomicandMonetaryUnion鈥檚cooperationwithChinawithintheframeworkoftheinitiative.
ChinaandBurkinaFasoresumedtheirdiplomatictiesthreemonthsago.WhenmeetingwithBurkinaFaso鈥檚PresidentRochMarcChristianKabor茅,Xihailedthatbilateralrelationshavemadeencouragingprogressandareofftoagoodstart.Kabor茅thankedChina鈥檚greatconcernforAfricanpeople鈥檚needsandsupportforAfrica鈥檚development,andnotedthatBurkinaFasoindependentlymadeitsdecisiontorestorediplomaticrelationswithChinaandreturntothefamilyofAfrica-Chinacooperation,whichfullyconformstothedirectionofthecountry鈥檚futuredevelopment.
鈥淎fricahaschosenChina鈥tisourchoiceandwewillsticktoit,鈥滽abor茅said.
Fruitfulresults
ThevisitsalsowitnessedthesigningofnumerouscooperationdocumentsbetweenChinaandAfricancountries.
InthecooperationdealsbetweenChinaandSouthAfrica,thetwosidesmadecommitmentsoncooperationinthefieldsofclimatechange,waterresources,transportationinfrastructureandrefurbishmentstoanumberoftechnicalandvocationaltrainingcolleges.Amemorandumofunderstanding(MoU)betweenSouthAfrica鈥檚DepartmentofTradeandIndustryandChina鈥檚NationalDevelopmentandReformCommissionwasreachedtocooperateoninternationalinvestmentpromotionforSouthAfrica鈥檚specialeconomiczones(SEZ)andindustrialparks.Theconstructionofa4,600MWcoal-firedplant,acementplantandothermetallurgicalprojectswithintheMusinaMakhadoSEZwereprioritized.
AccordingtothenewbilateralagreementssignedbetweenChinaandSierraLeone,Chinawillprovide50millionyuan($7.35million)worthofriceasemergencyhumanitarianassistancetothecountry.AnMoUoncooperationwithintheframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiativeandanagreementontheeconomicandtechnicalcooperationwithgratuitousassistancefromtheChineseGovernmentof250millionyuan($36.76million)werealsosigned.
EightcooperationagreementsweresignedbetweenGhanaandChina,definingtheambitofChinesecooperationwithGhanaintheyearsahead.Theagreementsincludeda$2billioninfrastructuredealthatwillenableSinohyrdoCorporation,tofinanceandparticipateinmajorinfrastructureandroadandrailwayconstructionprojectsinGhana,accordingtoastatementfromtheofficeofGhana鈥檚PresidentNanaAkufo-Addo.
ChinaHarborEngineeringCo.alsoagreedtobuildthemarinefacilitiesforaliquefiednaturalgasterminalintheportofTemawhileJiangnanShipyardwillconstructthefloatingregasificationfacility.The$350millionprojectwillprovideasmuchas2milliontonsofnaturalgasperyearwhencompleted,andproduceabout30percentofGhana鈥檚totalelectricitygeneratingcapacity.TheotheraccordsarerelatedtotheBeltandRoadInitiative,aviation,maternalhealth,constructionprojectsandthesupplyofpolicevehicles.
WomengetwaterfromaboreholebuiltwithaidfromChinainAgyakwaVillage,EasternRegion,Ghana,onJune18.TheChineseGovernmentplanstobuild1,000boreholesforhundredsofruralcommunitiesinGhanaXINHUACopyeditedbyRebecaToledoCommentsto