Africa “full of hope”, says Chinese president

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Africa “full of hope”, says Chinese president

8:20 CAT | 05 Sep 2018

Photo: Getty

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday declared that the African continent has a future full of hope, and reaffirmed China’s determination to work as Africa’s greatest economic partner in achieving the various goals of Sino-African cooperation.

Xi was speaking in Beijing at the opening of the High Level Dialogue between African and Chinese leaders and business people from both sides preceding the formal opening of the third summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

He claimed that there are clear advances in Africa thanks to the agreements reached between African leaders and China. “Three years ago, at the FOCAC summit in Johannesburg, we announced ten plans intended to promote the sustainable development of Africa”, said Xi. The results could now be seen in the industrialisation of the continent, and the building of new infrastructures, among other areas.

Xi said that, by 2017, Chinese investment in Africa had reached 100 billion US dollars, and since Africa had come to participate, about five years ago, in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) its connectivity in infrastructures had greatly improved, leading to synergies that are constructing regional integration.

“The joint construction of BRI is a path that will make it possible to integrate the needs of the African continent with the growth of China”, said Xi. In addition to setting up an economic platform with mutual gains, it would also promote trade and investment.

The initiative was unveiled by Xi in late 2013, and initially concentrated on the Asia-Pacific area and on central and eastern Europe. It was later extended to Oceania and East Africa. It is regarded as one of the largest infrastructure and investment projects in history, covering more than 68 counties which accounted for over 40 per cent of global GDP as of 2017.

The outgoing co-chairperson of FOCAC, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, told the meeting that the creation of FOCAC, in 2000, was in line with the goal of the African Union expressed in its Agenda 2063.

Among the African infrastructures that Ramaphosa attributed to Chinese investment are the opening of 30,000 kilometres of roads, the construction of 70 power stations, 20 airports (including the rebuilding of Maputo International Airport), and 20 ports.

Source: AIM