Africa benefits from trade, investment ties with China, says UN official

NAIROBI, Aug.16 (Xinhua) -- Africa is benefitting from its trade and investment ties with China, a United Nations (UN) official said Wednesday.

Rebeca Grynspan, the secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) told Xinhua in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on the sidelines of the launch of the UNCTAD's economic development in Africa Report 2023.

"China is an important and responsible member of the international community so we look at China with hope and with interest always," Grynspan said, noting that China has emerged as an important trading partner for Africa as well as the Global South due to its economic development in the past decades.

She observed that international trade in general is important for countries and especially for small and medium size countries because it plays a role in providing employment and improving wages.

Grynspan revealed that China can help Africa enhance its global trade sector because the Asian nation has developed both critical technology and supply chains that underpin trade.

She added that China can also help Africa to add value to its local raw materials so that it can transition from exports of primary commodities.