An African PhD candidate in Hunan Agricultural University conducts an experiment under the guidance of his supervisor (right), in June 2023. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

Edited by GONG Qian

Sino-African relations have entered a new era of building a high-level community with a shared future, said the report titled Yellow Book of Africa: Annual Report on Development in Africa (2022-2023), published by Chinese think tanks, including Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, on August 29.

Over the past two decades, the China-Africa partnership has made remarkable achievements with both sides delivering concrete results beneficial to their people in many areas.

Expanding practical cooperation

China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the trade volume between China and Africa reached 282 billion USD in 2022, up 10.9 percent year-on-year. Chinese imports from Africa in the past 23 years have accumulated to 1.42 trillion USD, official data showed.

Also, China is a significant source of foreign direct investment in Africa. The FDI from China is mostly directed at agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, environmental protection, and the digital economy, which bring African countries opportunities.

Now, beyond their potential to elevate food security and production capacity in China and African countries, China-Africa relations focus more on industrial production, job creation and investments that lead to African exports, and productivity-enhancing agricultural and digital technology opportunities, said Lauren Johnston, senior researcher at the University of Sydney. This will place Africa in an important position for grasping new opportunities and shaping related areas of cooperation at home and globally.

Contribution to peace and security

The third China-Africa Peace and Security Forum was held in Beijing from August 28 to September 2, under the theme "Implementing the Global Security Initiative and Strengthening China-Africa Solidarity and Cooperation."

With the constant changes in the global security landscape, the peace and security architecture and governance approach in Africa are being challenged, and African countries share common interests with China in security, stability, common progress, and other areas, Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, said at the forum, according to African News Bulletin. It is critical for the African Union (AU) to forge a mutually beneficial relationship with China, he said.

In fact, China has emerged as a significant contributor to UN peacekeeping operations in general and in Africa, Theo Neethling, professor of political science at the University of the Free State, wrote in his article published in Strategic Review for Southern Africa.

China is already contributing to the peace and security objectives of the AU through capacity building for socio-economic development and education for social transformation, said African conflict studies specialist Dries Velthuizen, in his article published in The Conversation.

Promoting African modernization

China will launch three proposals to help Africa fast track its modernization. Two of the proposals focus on supporting Africa's industrialization and agricultural modernization. The other is the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, which includes a plan to train 500 African principals and high-caliber teachers of vocational colleges, and 10,000 African technical personnel in both Chinese language and vocational skills for Africa each year.

Actually, China has long been providing training opportunities for African government officials and other sectors and has provided increasing growth opportunities for students, as evidenced by the approximately 80,000 African students in China, according to the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank.

"It is quite clear that China and Africa have eternal hope to carry forward the traditional friendship, enhance solidarity and coordination, and bolster cooperation across the board and set a fine example in the building of a community with a shared future for humankind," Maurice Okoli, professor at Russian Academy of Sciences, wrote in his article published in Eurasia Review.