Former head of Malawi hails win-win cooperation

Photo taken on May 8, 2022, shows a section of the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo/Xinhua)

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation plays an important role in bringing together China and African countries for discussions that help forge win-win cooperation, allowing both sides to grow together, said Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi.

Speaking to China Daily ahead of the 2024 Summit of the FOCAC, which is scheduled to be held from Sept 4 to 6 in Beijing, Banda said that such gatherings are also crucial for people who doubt China-Africa cooperation to see for themselves what truly is happening in this partnership.

As the two sides continue to take their relationship forward, the seasoned politician said it is important for Africa to learn from China's experience in creating a peaceful environment that enables the nation's transformation and tremendous economic growth.

Banda said China has done a good job in addressing the concerns of people across the board — from youths to women and the elderly. "I see President Xi Jinping often in the rural areas of China talking to people that are underprivileged," she said.

Banda said she is grateful to the Chinese government for starting a special program for the young people of Africa, who account for about 60 percent of the continent's population.

"The majority of Africans ... are young people below the age of 30. ...We must involve them, because conflict is started in many countries by people that are not happy, people that have no hope, people that are not satisfied," she said.

The former Malawian president, who was a businesswoman before she made her foray into politics, said it is very important for China to forge trade partnerships with Africa in fields such as mining, agriculture, and information and communications technology.

"When we do trade together, we will grow our economies and we will create jobs," she said, adding that the availability of more opportunities in Africa would help prevent its young population from migrating to Europe, often illegally, in search of employment.

Africa, with its population of 1.7 billion people, can also be a huge market for Chinese products, Banda noted. "Nobody is going to come and tell us that we can't buy from China. Theonus is on us," she said, criticizing some European countries' ban on the import of Chinese-made products.

Banda's connection with China started as early as 1995, when she made a visit to Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women. The trip inspired the then businesswoman so much that she decided to establish herself in a leadership position in Malawi and help her country as well as the whole of Africa prosper.

From a member of parliament to foreign minister to vice-president, Banda steadily climbed the political ladder, and finally became the first female president of Malawi in 2012.

China and Malawi established diplomatic relations in 2007, and the two sides signed a document on Belt and Road cooperation in 2022, on the 15th anniversary of their ties.

Thanks to cooperation frameworks such as the Belt and Road Initiative and China's help, Malawi now has a parliament building, a stadium, a university, and a network of roads, Banda said.

"If you have no roads, you can't develop. If you have no means of transportation, you can't develop. If you go into countries like mine, it would be very easy for you to see what the People's Republic of China has done," she added.