Opinion
The Eight Initiatives to Fast Track Africa's Growth
With the implementation of the initiatives, China and Africa make historic breakthroughs in various areas.
By Lan Xinzhen  ·  2020-01-16  ·   Source: NO.4 JANUARY 23, 2020

China-Africa cooperation was enhanced in 2019 amid several bright spots despite the sluggish global economic recovery, lower-than-expected economic growth in Africa and other headwinds.

According to statistics from China's Ministry of Commerce, in the first 11 months of last year, China's total direct investment in Africa was $2.8 billion, an increase of 4.6 percent year on year. Manufacturing investment surged by 172.8 percent. China-Africa trade volume hit $187.5 billion, up 0.7 percent.

This progress came from eight major initiatives proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. They are industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, healthcare, people-to-people exchanges, and peace and stability.

Initially, there were doubts whether China would be able to fully implement these initiatives given the economic downward pressure and China-U.S. trade friction. But, results prove that China is honoring its commitments. China is consistent in offering assistance for Africa's development and helping to nurture its talent, to help it get onto a fast development track.

With the implementation of the initiatives, China and Africa have made historic breakthroughs in various areas. Ethiopia's first satellite co-designed and built by Chinese engineers was launched into space to obtain remote-sensing data for Ethiopia's agriculture and water resources development, disaster prevention and relief, and climate change research. This signaled a breakthrough in emerging industry cooperation between China and Africa.

Direct flights were started from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in south China, to Kigali, Rwanda; from Changsha, Hunan Province in central China, to Nairobi, Kenya; and from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in east China, to Cairo, Egypt, making people-to-people exchanges, investment and trade cooperation more convenient. A $10-billion special fund for development financing and a $5-billion special fund for import financing were set up; the China-Africa Institute was established in Beijing in April 2019 and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo was held in Changsha in June 2019.

While presiding over a meeting of ministers from China and African members of the UN Security Council in New York on September 26, 2019, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that African countries are China's most important and most reliable cooperation partners. He also said China will try its best to fulfill its African brothers and sisters' expectations and whatever is in Africa's interests.

Some in the West claim that Chinese efforts to shore up Africa's development are based on the benefits it can derive from investments in the continent, while others claim that China is plundering local resources through its investments and pushing African countries into a "debt trap." However, China and African countries alike dismiss these arguments as hypocritical clichés meant to hinder Africa's development. African leaders and people have repeatedly refuted the idea that China is to blame for Africa's debts.

Money is an important factor in Africa's development, and China has provided substantial funds within its capacity. These funds have promoted local economic and social development and improved people's livelihood, which will in turn boost their capabilities to pay off their debts. They are welcomed by African countries and their people. More importantly, China's financial support never has political strings attached to it, nor will China seek political leverage through its assistance to Africa.

China used to be a backward and impoverished country, but its economic success in the past few decades demonstrates that in order to help Africa realize independent and sustainable development as quickly as possible, it is necessary to wipe out the three major blocks that hamstring Africa's development. These are backward infrastructure, and a shortage of talent and funds. Moreover, the deficiencies of employment, health, and food and clothing need to be solved. The eight major initiatives were raised precisely in response to these challenges.

China is consistent in its attitude of mutual respect and quality assistance toward Africa. It will never renege on its commitments. The achievements under the eight initiatives have validated the methods China has adopted in its cooperation with the continent. As a result, Africa ranked among the world's fastest-growing areas in terms of GDP in 2019.

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

Comments to lanxinzhen@bjreview.com

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