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Chinese President Xi Jinping is traveling to Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa. He will also participate in the 10th Brics Summit in Sandton from tomorrow to Friday, and will visit Mauritius at a stopover. This is Xi's fourth visit to Africa since he took office as Chinese President in 2013.
Many African leaders, including Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Namibian President Hage Geingob and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, visited China this year, and Cyril Rampahosa will visit Focac (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) in September
China and Africa have always maintained the tradition high-level close interactions, embodying the fraternal bonds between them. and their determination to promote pragmatic cooperation for mutual benefit.
Klaus Schade, a research associate at the Economic Association of Namibia, said that frequent mutual visits by Chinese and African delegations are the result of historical friendship, which continues today. ; hui. The leading Chinese legislator, Li Zhanshu and Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, have recently visited Africa. The visit of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to four African countries in January followed a long tradition.
For 28 years, Chinese foreign ministers have always chosen Africa as the first destination abroad. In an interview with Xinhua, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, said frequent visits were needed to strengthen ties between nations and, more importantly, between governments .
"The last decade has been marked by a very high frequency of mutual visits between Chinese officials and a large number of African countries," said Gerishon Ikiara, lecturer in International Economics at the University of Nairobi .
"This indicates the seriousness with which visits were made by both African countries and China."
Ikiara called the frequency and high caliber of Africa-China interactions a clear indication of the sharp increase in their mutual desire to improve and diversify Sino-African socio-economic, diplomatic and political relations.
Tarah Shaanika, former general manager of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Namibia, said: "For many years, the Chinese economy has grown rapidly, fueling growth other economies, particularly in Africa. "
Commending the comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership between China and Africa, he said that, being the second largest economy with the largest population, China "has a huge market that nobody can afford to ignore ".
This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening.
The last four decades have not only witnessed China's economic achievements, but also the unprecedented development of Sino-African economic and trade relations. On July 12, in the Nigerian capital Abuja, the light rail system of Abuja assisted by China, the first of its kind in West Africa, was put into operation.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari described it as a milestone in the country's history. "I am very optimistic that a modern rail service would bring a boost to the economy of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and significantly improve social life," he said. Abuja is located in the FCT.
In recent years, such infrastructure projects undertaken by Chinese companies abound in Africa and have become symbols of the strong Sino-African economic nexus. These include the Nairobi-Mombasa normal track railway in Kenya and the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, among others. Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Vice President of the AU Commission, said that Africa and China maintain pragmatic and close cooperation in the spirit of South-South cooperation in areas such as as health, education, infrastructure development, trade and capacity building. . "China remains an example for us China has shown that it has been able to lift its millions of people out of poverty," he said. A report released last year by Ernst & Young indicates that China has become in 2016 the largest contributor to foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa. Between 2005 and 2016, China invested in 293 FDI projects in Africa, totaling one investment. $ 66.4 billion and the creation of 130,750 jobs. Data from the Department of African Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs show that trade between China and Africa rose from just $ 765 million in 1978 to $ 170 billion in 2017, an increase of more than 200 times. China has also maintained its position as Africa's leading trading partner for eight consecutive years. China's cumulative investment in Africa has grown from zero to more than $ 110 billion over the last 40 years.
Of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, China is the largest contributor to the peacekeeping force in Africa, with more than 2,000 Chinese troops performing missions on the continent.
During his visit to Africa in 2013, Xi pointed out in a Tanzanian speech that the similar history of China and Africa, common development tasks and shared strategic interests had created a close connection between the two.
Gerrishon Ikiara, professor of economics at the University of Nairobi, says that since the 1960s, when the majority of African countries become independent, China is considered to have special ties with the country. ;Africa.
Raphael Tuju, Secretary General of the Jubilee China has won the hearts and minds of Africans for helping the continent with loans and grants to improve infrastructure, which remained the biggest challenge for the development of the world. 39; Africa. – Xinhua
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