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China committed to Africa's economic growth through infrastructure development: envoy

Xinhua, October 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Minister Counsellor Dr. Jiang Peng, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, told a Sino-Africa forum in Nairobi on Thursday that China is committed to the economic growth of Africa through infrastructure development.

"All China cooperation and assistance to Africa will be aligned to the priorities of Africa," Jiang said during the official opening of the China-Africa Cooperation on Three Networks of Africa's infrastructure and Industrialization Seminar.

The day-long event brought scholars from Africa and China to deliberate on ways of optimizing the financing of infrastructure in Africa.

By June 2015, over 3,800 kilometers of railways and 4,334 kilometers of roads have been either built or under construction in Africa with Chinese financing, Chinese officials said.

In Kenya, China is financing the construction of a new standard gauge railway that will revolutionize the transport sector. Beijing has a long history of friendly exchanges between China and Africa.

Sino-Africa cooperation has continued to flourish since the 1950s when both regions commenced formal diplomatic ties.

Jiang said both regions are currently enjoying great economic success as China is now the second biggest economy in the world while Africa ranks among the fastest growing regions in the world.

Last year, the Sino-Africa bilateral trade surpassed 220 billion U.S. dollars while Chinese investment in the continent hit the 30 billion dollars mark.

The Chinese envoy said the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is slated to take place on Dec. 4-5 in South Africa. "The meeting will have enormous significance for up scaling of China-Africa relations," he said.

African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Executive Director Professor Lemma Senbet said Chinese presence on the African continent has expanded and brought with it numerous benefits.

Senbet said China is assisting Africa to bridge its infrastructure gap. "Most African states would have struggled to finance the construction of critical infrastructure without Chinese help," he said.

Yunnan University Centre for African Studies Vice Director Liang Yijian said cooperation between China and Africa is based on mutual beneficial cooperation.

He noted that the increase in China's economic and political involvement in Africa is arguably the most momentous development in the continent. Endit