Source: China Daily    Published: 2024-09-04

By Zhang Yunbi

Comments from visiting African leaders and senior officials serve as the latest reminders of how China's lasting, ever-evolving philosophy, visions and actions, as promoted by President Xi Jinping, have led to a gearing up of common development and profound amity with the African continent.

Thierry Lezin Moungalla, the Republic of Congo's minister of communication and media and a government spokesman, expressed his great respect for Xi for the visions that he has put forward, including the landmark Belt and Road Initiative.

Xi has "turned such visions into reality" by earnestly participating in high-level meetings with African leaders and strengthening communication mechanisms, Moungalla said at a forum in Beijing last month.

In 2018, China and the Republic of Congo signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building the Belt and Road. In 2022, trade between the two countries reached $6.57 billion, up 22 percent year-on-year.

"The greatness of a country is not only determined by the size of its geographical area, but also by the competence and caliber of its leadership, the leadership's vision for its people and for the future, as well as their ability to offer the best of their country to the rest of the world," the minister said.

Leaders and delegations from Africa are gathering in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which is being held from Wednesday to Friday.

Officials and scholars from both sides said that Xi highly values ties with Africa, as reflected by the fact that he visited Africa on his first trip abroad after he became president in 2013.

During a state visit to Tanzania at the time, Xi outlined the principles guiding China's Africa policy — sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith.

He has also pointed out on many occasions that China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future.

Vice-Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong said, "President Xi has visited Africa five times, attended two summits of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and chaired the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 and the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue."

Chen said at a recent media briefing that Xi summarized and refined the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, and he "mapped out the future development of China-Africa relations in the new era in person".

As navigated by head-of-state diplomacy, the construction of the China-Africa community with a shared future "keeps a leading position among efforts in building a community with a shared future for mankind", Chen added.

China-Africa pragmatic cooperation has produced fruitful results, according to Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as the two sides' trade volume increased from $10.5 billion in 2000 to $282.1 billion in 2023, a nearly 27-fold increase.

Currently, 52 African countries and the African Union Commission have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China.

In addition, Africa became the first continent as an entirety to welcome and support the Xi-proposed Global Development Initiative, and "33 countries have now joined the Group of Friends of the GDI", Wang said in a recent signed article.

China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years.

"China and Africa are vigorously promoting the transformation and upgrading of their practical cooperation, moving (their focus) from trade in commodities to cooperation in the production and supply chain," the foreign minister said.

Wang Yiwei, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of International Studies and director of the university's Institute of International Affairs, said that China and Africa naturally have a shared future, because China is the largest developing country, while Africa houses the largest number of developing countries among all the continents.

"The two sides have supported each other in the international arena and have forged a profound friendship," he said.

He noted that China's foreign ministers have developed a fine tradition since 1991 by visiting Africa each year for 34 consecutive years to kick off the new year.

Siddharth Chatterjee, the United Nations' development system resident coordinator in China, said the discussions at the FOCAC summit "will set the agenda for China-Africa cooperation in the coming years".

"Increasing investment in Africa is essential for tackling the global challenges we face. It is only through collective efforts that we can achieve the goals outlined in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Chatterjee said.

Increased partnerships between Chinese and African businesses will "not only accelerate growth, but also increase employment opportunities, strengthen local industries and enhance access to essential goods and services", he said.