China, Africa join hands to create a brighter future

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Johannesburg Summit is about to open in Johannesburg, South Africa — the first time that the summit has been held on the African continent. 
Under the banner of “Africa- China Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development”, the forum will be a grand meeting that plays a decisive role in strengthening China-Africa unity, seeking cooperation and promoting the comprehensive transformation and elevation of the China-Africa relationship.

China and Africa have long been a community with a common destiny and interests. Fostering unity and cooperation with African countries has always been a cornerstone of China’s foreign policy, a commitment that remains unaltered by China’s own development and rising international status. Guided by a sincere working policy and a balanced approach to upholding principles and pursuing interests,

China seeks to help African countries attract investment, support them to improve their self-development abilities and to push forward a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership.

Currently, China and Africa are facing historic opportunities in the coordination of development strategies and the elevation of China-Africa relations. African countries are committing themselves to realising the first 10-year plan of Agenda 2063, which has set accelerating industrialisation and achieving sustainable development as its primary goals. China itself is undergoing economic restructuring and industrial transformation and upgrading. In their continued joint development, China and Africa will both rely on and benefit each other.

After more than 30 years of rapid development, China has accumulated a wealth of experience, mature technologies and cost-effective equipment that will support the industrialisation of Africa. China has a firm political aspiration to help Africa realise economic independence and sustainable development. China and Africa should seize the opportunity to promote the transformation and elevation of this mutually beneficial cooperation, to transform the traditional friendship into the driving force of cooperative development and to turn the rich human and natural resources of Africa into economic strength and substantive achievements in development.

China will always support African countries in their exploration of the development paths suitable to their national conditions and is willing to share its experience with African countries. The 5th Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held recently in Beijing has made clear that China will implement the concepts of innovation, coordination, green development and opening up and sharing its economic development. China and Africa exchanging views on managing state affairs will help each other fulfil the UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development. China’s opening and development concepts show it is willing to promote mutual development and mutual benefit to all countries and to inject new impetus into China-Africa cooperation.

China is the world’s largest developing country and Africa is the continent with the most developing countries. Their combined population is 2.4-billion — one third of the world’s population. The strengthening of China-Africa cooperation will not only promote mutual development but will also set a good example of South-South cooperation, which can better safeguard the interests of developing countries and promote a more balanced, reasonable world order.

Some 1.3-billion Chinese are striving to realise the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and more than 1-billion Africans are realising their African dream of unity, self-reliance and development. The unity and support of the two peoples will allow greater contributions to peace and the development of humankind.

(The story was originally published on Business Day on December 2nd, 2015.)