east-west questions | emil: why is strengthening economic and trade cooperation with china the right choice for africa?
2024-09-07
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shanghai, september 6 (china news service) title: why is strengthening economic and trade cooperation with china the right choice for africa?
——interview with aimi le, foreign teacher of professional courses at the school of international education of shanghai university of finance and economics and chief data analyst of the african chamber of commerce
author gao zhimiao
the 2024 forum on china-africa cooperation summit was held in beijing from september 4 to 6. the summit unanimously adopted the "beijing declaration on building an all-weather china-africa community with a shared future for a new era".
how to build a high-level china-africa community with a shared future? what are the achievements of china-africa cooperation in recent years? why is strengthening economic and trade cooperation with china the right choice for africa? recently, amine hammadi, an algerian foreign teacher at the school of international education of shanghai university of finance and economics and chief data analyst of the african chamber of commerce, accepted an exclusive interview with china news service's "east-west questions" on the above issues.
the following is a summary of the interview transcript:
china news service: the 2024 forum on china-africa cooperation summit is being held. what are your expectations for this summit? what are the characteristics of china-africa economic and trade cooperation in recent years? why is strengthening economic and trade cooperation with china the right choice for africa?
aimi:in 2023, the trade volume between africa and china reached 282.1 billion u.s. dollars, an increase of nearly 11% compared with 2021, setting a new historical peak for the second consecutive year, reflecting the strong resilience of africa-china trade. in addition, africa-china investment cooperation has grown steadily. by the end of 2023, china's direct investment stock in africa exceeded 40 billion u.s. dollars, making it one of the largest sources of foreign investment in africa.
at the 3rd china-africa economic and trade expo, visitors asked staff at the malawi booth about local conditions. photo by cui nan
since the establishment of the forum on china-africa cooperation, the main goal of each summit has been to build a platform to strengthen china-africa cooperation. this summit still adheres to the five principles of peaceful coexistence emphasized when the forum was established. china and all african parties have conducted in-depth communication and consultation to inherit the spirit of china-africa friendship and cooperation, making this summit another symbol of china-africa friendship and solidarity and strengthening exchanges and cooperation. china has always taken mutual benefit and development as its main goals. it is believed that africa and china will continue to promote the "china-africa cooperation vision 2035" plan and promote the building of a closer china-africa community with a shared future.
the theme of this year's summit is worth noting. china does not underestimate africa and is willing to "go hand in hand" with africa to achieve common development and share benefits. china understands that africa has great potential for further development, and many african countries also regard china as a role model for economic and social development. china has a lot of experience to share on the path of modernization development of african countries, especially with the advancement of the "belt and road" initiative, the vision of infrastructure construction, connectivity and other aspects has become more extensive and specific.
china is still africa's largest trading partner. china is at the forefront of the world in green energy, infrastructure and other fields. many african countries cooperate with chinese companies that invest in new technologies, green energy and vocational training, which is very consistent with the high demand for electricity in african countries. currently, about 600 million people in africa still do not have access to electricity. in addition, human capital development is also one of the main challenges and opportunities facing the african population. such a young continent with huge economic development potential needs to obtain new technical support.
looking ahead, africa and china should work together to improve cooperation. there is still great potential for development of china-africa cooperation, especially in human capital development and training. a clear understanding of africa's needs and mutual respect make china an ideal partner for african countries to promote economic and social development.
at the 2014 graduation ceremony of china pharmaceutical university, african international students took a group photo holding their graduation certificates and wearing academic gowns. photo by yang bo, a reporter from china news service
china news service: you mentioned the belt and road initiative. africa is an important participant in the belt and road initiative. what has the belt and road initiative brought to deepening china-africa cooperation?
aimi:the belt and road initiative has helped africa solve many problems. for example, africa is a large region with very inconvenient transportation. the promotion of the belt and road initiative has brought about progress and development in transportation facilities. take the train as an example. as an african, i think this is the most influential point. on this basis, the belt and road initiative has also promoted trade between african countries and achieved connections between people, that is, "connecting people".
overall, on the one hand, africa's infrastructure construction and rural development are still relatively backward, and there are many areas in africa that need support and development. on the other hand, africa has potential, and china also understands this. china has infrastructure construction projects in many parts of africa, which not only promotes local development and progress, but also promotes china's international development and exports. this cooperation will bring long-term benefits to both sides. i also hope that the "belt and road" initiative can bring more and more inclusive practices.
in august 2018, the "ten thousand villages" project brought rich teaching video resources to the kung fu village primary school in uganda. the chinese government will implement the satellite tv (ten thousand villages) project for 10,000 villages in 23 african countries, covering most of southeast africa, central africa, west africa and other regions. china news service, china international development cooperation agency
some people may think that trade between the countries involved in the belt and road initiative and china is one-way, with only china exporting. this is a wrong perception. trade between china and africa is two-way. in fact, china has been opening up imports. take the china international import expo held in shanghai as an example. many small and medium-sized african companies have enjoyed market opportunities through this platform, such as coffee from ethiopia, which is exported to the chinese market. china has also provided a lot of support and help to african small and medium-sized companies in exploring the chinese market. because china has a large population base and its purchasing power has been increasing over the past three or four decades, china is also a very attractive market for african small and medium-sized companies.
we should take a good look at the achievements china has made over the past 40 years. over that period, more than 500 million people in china have been lifted out of poverty. although we cannot directly copy these achievements, china's experience is worth learning from for many countries.
china news service: you are from algeria, which is also the largest country in africa. now algeria is also encouraging the development of automobiles, technology, etc., and advocating innovation in the payment field. what are the cooperation opportunities between china and algeria? how can we complement each other's strengths?
aimi:algeria is indeed the largest country in africa. china and algeria also have a long history and friendship, and like all other african countries, algeria is working hard to develop technological infrastructure and connectivity. china is one of algeria's main economic partners and has played an important role in the development of algeria's connectivity. for large chinese companies looking to expand into african or european markets, algeria's geographical location, young population and other advantages make it an attractive investment country. in addition, algeria and china have friendly political relations, mutual respect and cooperation, so algeria can benefit from the chinese model in economic development and governance.
when it comes to payment methods, there is a situation in africa where consumers have money in their bank accounts but no cash in their pockets when shopping in stores and cannot make mobile payments. many countries do not have portable payment methods, so there is huge room for development for chinese payment companies in africa. in addition to payment, remittances also have a lot of market space in some african countries. at the same time, there are great opportunities for organic farming in africa, where the labor cost is relatively low, but the high transportation cost is a bit troublesome. in addition, there are also many venture capital opportunities related to the technology field and auto parts. in recent years, many african countries have been making their own cars, which will also generate a lot of demand for accessories. from my point of view, at present, there is a lot of room for development in africa in the three areas of organic farming, technology, and auto parts.
china news service: you have studied, lived and worked in china for nearly 16 years. why did you choose to study and stay in china? as a non-governmental bridge for exchanges between china and africa, what kind of power do you hope to play in the future?
aimi:for a north african student, choosing to come to china was actually a very unusual decision, but now i am very happy that i made this choice. china has a high level of education, a complete student research infrastructure, and a warm and hospitable culture. today, the african community in china plays the role of a bridge, and this community also represents high-quality human capital. some of us decided to stay in china to develop; others returned to their hometowns to contribute to the development of africa. in fact, we represent both africa's soft power in china and china's soft power in africa. (end)
about the interviewee:
amine hammadi, an algerian, is currently a foreign teacher at the school of international education, shanghai university of finance and economics and the chief data analyst of the african chamber of commerce. he has studied, lived and worked in china for nearly 16 years, and has worked in the international monetary fund, the financial industry, and the education industry. after obtaining a doctorate in finance from shanghai university of finance and economics in 2017, he stayed at the school as a foreign teacher for professional courses, mainly teaching courses such as finance, economics, and marketing. he is also the chief data analyst of the african chamber of commerce, and his research direction is foreign direct investment and governance improvement (focusing on africa).
