Interview: Innovation to drive China's high-quality economic growth, says Ghanaian media executive

ACCRA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- China's innovation-oriented development strategy has injected more vitality into its economy and will drive high-quality economic growth in the long run, a Ghanaian media executive has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Roger Agana, managing director of News Ghana, a leading news website in Ghana, described China's innovation-oriented development strategy as a driving force for growth, saying that the approach has proved to be dynamic and resilient.

Promoting the new quality productive forces is "a very laudable move," Agana said, adding he is upbeat that China will make more breakthroughs in science and technology to spur high-quality development.

His view on China's economy was bolstered during his first visit to China last December when he visited some high-tech firms in southern China's Guangdong Province. He was struck by the Chinese-made new energy vehicles, which he believed would be much more prevalent in the future.

"With new technologies, you can easily charge a car within 30 minutes; it's environmentally friendly and more efficient, which makes life much easier," he said, adding the new energy vehicle industry is simply the tip of the iceberg among the cluster of China's emerging industries.

Agana expressed confidence in China's efforts to strengthen reforms in the sci-tech sector to further unlock the potential for innovation with a view to high-quality development.

"I believe that also offers useful lessons to Ghana and the whole of Africa," he added.

Speaking of China's economic performance in 2023, Agana said it was "impressive."

"The world's second-largest economy has seen a GDP growth of 5.2 percent in 2023, which is a very impressive performance considering what is going on in the world right now. While a lot of countries' economies went negative, China was still growing," said Agana.

China has contributed a lot to the global economy, which is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and regional crises, Agana said, adding that China's economic growth has boosted demand for exports from other countries, which is beneficial to its trade partners.

China's economic growth shows the vitality of its economy and the Chinese government's capacity to handle external pressure from the volatile global market while dealing with domestic issues, Agana said.

Highlighting the positive impact that China's economic recovery exerts on Ghana and Africa, Agana said it may drive more Chinese investment in the continent's infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative, enabling a more robust development in many sectors in Africa.