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The term "China-Africa Destiny Community" is a buzzword to describe current Sino-African relations. The popularity of this term is based on the relentless efforts of Chinese and African leaders to build such a community, including deepening their mutual political trust and working toward common development.
In fact, Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently touring Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa. He will also visit the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, and will then make a brief stopover in Mauritius.
This is Xi's fourth visit to Africa since he became head of the the Chinese state in 2013.
Many African leaders, including Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Namibian President Hage Geingob and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, also visited China this year.
China and China Africa has always maintained close and high-level exchanges, which embody the fraternal bonds uniting them, and expressed their determination to promote mutually beneficial pragmatic cooperation together.
FREQUENT HIGH-LEVEL VISITS
Klaus Schade, Research Associate from the Economic Association of Namibia, stated that the frequent visits exchanged by the Chinese and African delegations were the result of a longstanding friendship e, a friendship that continues today.
Li Zhanshu, China's highest legislator, and Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), have recently
Wang Yi, State Counselor and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, also toured four African countries last January as part of a long tradition. For 28 years, Chinese foreign ministers have always chosen Africa for their first trip abroad.
In an interview with Xinhua, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Namibia Co-operation, for its part, said that these frequent visits were necessary because they helped to strengthen ties between nations, and especially between governments.
"The last decade has seen a marked increase in the frequency mutual visits between government officials from China and a large number of African countries, which shows how seriously African countries and China take these visits, "said Gerishon Ikiara, Lecturer in Economics at the University of Nairobi
M. Ikiara explained that the frequency and level of Africa-China interaction was a clear indicator of a major reinforcement of their mutual desire to improve and diversify the socio-economic, diplomatic and political relations between China and Africa.
"For many years, the Chinese economy has been growing rapidly, helping to fuel the growth of many other economies, particularly in Africa," said Tarah Shaanika, former CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Industry of Namibia.
Welcoming the China-Africa Global Strategic Cooperation Partnership, he said that China, as the world's second-largest economy and most populous country, represents "a huge market, which no one can afford to ignore "
BEYOND TRADE
This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and openness. The past four decades have witnessed not only a large number of economic achievements in China, but also a rapid development of Sino-African economic and trade relations.
On July 12 in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, a light rail network developed with the help of China has entered service. It is the first such network in West Africa, and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari described it as a turning point in the history of his country.
"I am hopeful that this modern rail service injecting new momentum into the economy of the Capital Federal Territory (where Abuja is located), and significantly improving our living conditions, "he said.
In recent years these types of infrastructure projects by Chinese companies have proliferated in Africa, and have become symbols of the strength of Sino-African economic relations. They include the Nairobi-Mombasa standard gauge railroad in Kenya, or the Ethiopia-Djibouti railroad.
Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Vice President of the African Union Commission (AUC), said that Africa and China had developed close and pragmatic cooperation in the true spirit of South-South cooperation in areas as diverse as health, education, infrastructure development, trade, and
"China remains an example to us … It has proven that it can lift millions out of poverty," he said.
A study published last year by Ernst & Young, a transnational business services firm, revealed that China had become the largest contributor of foreign direct investment to Africa in 2016.
From 2005 to 2016, China invested in 293 projects to invest foreign direct investment in Africa, for a total of $ 66.4 billion, leading to the creation of 130,750 jobs.
Data provided by the Department of African Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also showed that China-Africa trade was multiplied by 200, from just 765 million dollars in 1978, to 170 billion dollars in 2017. China also maintains its position as Africa's leading trading partner for eight consecutive years
Cumulative Chinese investments in Africa have gone from zero to $ 110 billion over the past 40 years.
On regional and international issues, China and Africa also maintain close coordination . Of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, China provides the largest contribution to peacekeeping forces in Africa, with more than 2,000 Chinese troops deployed in various missions across the continent.
VERY SPECIAL RELATIONSHIPS
During his visit to Africa in 2013, President Xi emphasized in a Tanzanian speech that China and Africa were forming a community focused on a shared future. A similar story, joint development projects and shared strategic interests have helped to create a close bond between the two parties, he said.
M. Ikiara, from the University of Nairobi, pointed out that since the 1960s, when most African countries gained their independence, China has always been considered to have very special links with Africa. The idea of a community of destiny has thus always been one of the "key peculiarities" of Sino-African relations in the post-independence era, he said.
Raphael Tuju, Secretary General of the Party of Jubilee, the ruling party in Kenya, said that China had won the hearts and minds of Africans, including providing loans and aid to the continent to enable it to develop its infrastructure, an area that remains one of the major challenges of African development
"Most African countries want to be part of the comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership between China and Africa, which is a clear indicator of the value they Sino-African relations, and their determination to establish a long-term strategic partnership, "Tuju said.
Next September, China will host a summit of the China-China Cooperation Forum. AT Africa (FOCAC) in Beijing. Mr Quartey, of the AUC, said the summit was a vehicle for bilateral, multilateral and continental cooperation.
"This summit will bring us closer.African countries still have much to learn from China, and Africa has a lot to offer the Chinese, this summit will strengthen the mutual trust we have, "said Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia
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