The world must listen to Africa, heed its concerns, and support it in exploring a new development path of self-reliance and self-strengthening, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news conference on Friday.
Wang said China is committed to advancing the 10 partnership actions jointly with Africa unveiled during the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation last year, including supporting Africa’s acceleration of industrialization and agricultural modernization.
Key measures include implementing zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, fostering digital, green, and AI-driven development capabilities, promoting 1,000 small but beautiful livelihood projects, strengthening exchanges on governance, and enhancing Africa’s representation and voice in international affairs, he said.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Over the past 25 years, nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads and more than 10,000 kilometers of railways have been built and upgraded in Africa under the joint cooperation, according to Wang.
In just the past three years, Chinese enterprises have created over 1.1 million jobs in Africa. China has remained Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.
“The benefits of China-Africa cooperation are visible and tangible to our African brothers and sisters,” said Wang.
“Africa is a fertile land of hope of the 21st century. There will be no global modernization without African modernization,” said Wang. “This year’s G20 Summit will be held on the African continent for the first time. China firmly supports South Africa in fulfilling its responsibilities as the chairing country and leaving a distinct African imprint on global governance,” said Wang.
