Dynamic people-to-people exchanges reflection of high-level China-Africa cooperation

BEIJING/NAIROBI, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- During the summer holidays, a fully booked flight connecting the central Chinese city of Changsha to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi is abuzz with lively conversations between Chinese and African passengers.

Among them, African traders share their experiences and flourishing plans with China. Also among the passengers are Chinese merchants, students, researchers, and tourists who are curious and open-minded, eager to explore the African continent.

In addition to the flight between Changsha and Nairobi, direct connections between other Chinese metropolises and various African cities are increasing. This expansion of flights reflects the rising number of China-Africa exchanges.

This is contributing to cooperation between China, the world's largest developing country, and Africa, home to the largest number of developing countries in the world, and to the construction of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

STRONGER ECONOMIC, TRADE TIES

China-Africa cooperation is, above all, manifested through Chinese investments in Africa, particularly in infrastructure.

The Cameroonian village of Ndoumale, once only accessible after a two-hour trek on a bumpy dirt track, now benefits from a network of roads and bridges built by the China Harbor Engineering Company Limited, which have significantly improved the lives of local residents.

"(It is a) road to riches because it has opened us up to the world. We now buy goods from other places, and more people are relocating and constructing buildings in our village," said Jean Edjanle, 63, a witness to Ndoumale's transformation.

Besides roads, Chinese companies have done much more in Africa. In Ethiopia, the Friendship Square in Addis Ababa has turned previously barren land into an urban ecological space. In Mali, the Solar Energy Demonstration Village project has provided a reliable, clean electricity supply to tens of thousands of local residents.

While these tangible achievements benefit many African households, more and more African agricultural products are entering the Chinese market thanks to preferential policies and trade platforms.

Fresh avocados from Kenya, which have been exported to China since 2022, have received excellent reviews and boosted Kenya's exports. Apart from Kenyan avocados, 16 agricultural products from 11 African countries, including South African citrus and Tanzanian sesame, have also made their way into Chinese consumers' shopping baskets as of June 2023, as China works to establish a "green channel" for the export of African agricultural products to China.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian coffee, Malagasy essential oils, Kenyan flowers, and many other products have also been introduced to China during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, offering high-quality African products at reasonable prices to Chinese consumers.

China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. In 2023, Chinese imports of nuts, vegetables, flowers and fruits from Africa increased by 130 percent, 32 percent, 14 percent and 7 percent respectively compared to the previous year, China's Ministry of Commerce reported.

FLOURISHING MULTIDIMENSIONAL EXCHANGES

Beyond economic and trade aspects, China-Africa exchanges have expanded to multiple dimensions, injecting new momentum into the development of bilateral cooperation.

In Tanzania, Chinese soymilk, a traditional Chinese drink rich in flavor and nutrition, has captivated many villagers. Thanks to the "Small Bean and Big Nutrition" project initiated by experts from China Agricultural University, soybean cultivation, and soymilk production have improved the local nutritional structure.

Many African countries have benefited from Chinese farming technology and expertise, which have remarkably improved the yield and quality of staple crops such as rice and cassava, enriching the diversity of African diets and forging fresh pathways for the region's agricultural progress.

Apart from expanding food choices, Africans are also seeing a promising prospect for "Made in Africa" products as thriving Chinese-operated industrial parks and zones are helping the continent better integrate into the global production chain.

The Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park, invested and operated by the private Chinese company Tian Tang Group, has attracted more than 40 companies since its establishment in March 2018, creating over 5,000 local jobs and helping replace costly imports with products manufactured on African soil.

Spanning thousands of hectares, the park encompasses a wide range of sectors, including household appliances, daily beauty products, home fabrics, building materials, medicines, smartphones, televisions and automobiles.

Sports have now become a new link in China-Africa exchanges. Football, which generates great passion in Chinese villages, is also meeting the same enthusiasm in African villages.

Inspired by viral videos of football matches in the Village Super League in southwest China's Guizhou Province, the first Village Super League was held in Parakou, a central city in Benin, with the support of the local farmers' association and Chinese cotton-planting experts.

"The league has made us more united," said Yves Koba, head of the village of Belle-Cite near Parakou, praising the match for fostering communication and friendship between people.

STRENGTHENING FRIENDSHIP THROUGH SHARING

The sustainable advancement of China-Africa cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, especially through training programs, is promoting mutual sharing and strengthening understanding and friendship between the two sides.

The Luban Workshop, named after an ancient Chinese architect, stands out as a flagship project of China-Africa educational cooperation. More than a dozen of these workshops, increasingly recognized across the continent, aim to share China's expertise with African talents.

Tola Tsegaye Alemu, a 34-year-old Ethiopian pursuing his doctoral degree at Tianjin University of Technology and Education in China, was impressed by the impact of the Luban Workshop's vocational education on young Africans before deciding to continue his studies in China.

"The Luban Workshop is a great opportunity for young African people to learn skills," he said, adding that he plans to share the knowledge he has gained in China with his compatriots after graduation.

In the Republic of Congo, Diakabana Ngoma Andre, a former student at the China-Aid Agriculture Technology Demonstration Center, remains in close contact with experts from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences after completing training courses in vegetable and fruit cultivation.

After his training, Andre cultivated a watermelon field and reaped substantial profits, with which he bought his first television set. He described the experience of learning from Chinese specialists as a cherished "memory."

"Equipment is doomed to be damaged, but the training stays," said Paul Valentin Ngobo, Congolese minister of agriculture, livestock and fisheries. "If there is one thing that cannot be taken away from China, it is its willingness to share with others."

Always faithful to the principles of sincerity, real results, friendship, and good faith in its cooperation with Africa in a new era, China attaches great importance to fostering close ties in all areas between the two sides.

As the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) approaches, everyone expects more cooperation and collaboration between China and Africa.

"FOCAC has led to numerous agreements on investment, trade, and development projects between China and African countries to achieve shared development goals," said Diane Sayinzoga, chief of the Regional Office for Africa of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.