BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso sent congratulatory letters separately to the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Changsha, capital of Central China’s Hunan Province, on Wednesday.
Noting that the current international situation is marked by changes and turmoil, Xi said China is committed to providing new opportunities for the world with the new achievements of Chinese modernization and offering new impetus to Global South partners, including Africa, with its huge market, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
China is ready to negotiate and sign the agreement of China-Africa Economic Partnership for Shared Development to implement zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent of tariff lines for 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, Xi said, adding that China will provide more convenience for the least developed countries in Africa to export to China.
He said China is ready to work with Africa to deepen the implementation of the 10 partnership actions for modernization, strengthen cooperation in such key areas as green industry, e-commerce and e-payment, science and technology, and artificial intelligence, and enhance cooperation in security, finance and the rule of law, to promote high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation.
The congratulatory messages highlight the strategic positioning of China-Africa relations. Both sides view this partnership as a model for building a global community of shared future and advancing South-South cooperation, especially under the current complicated international landscape, Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
The strong political consensus, commitment to shared economic development and deepening cultural exchanges reflect the enduring importance that both Chinese and African leaders attach to this relationship, Song said.
Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi read President Xi’s congratulatory message at the opening ceremony of the Wednesday event. More than 100 ministerial-level officials from forum member states, representatives of the African Union Commission and African ambassadors to China also attended, according to the Foreign Ministry.
As agreed by China and Africa, the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of FOCAC is being held in Changsha, Hunan from June 10 to 12. The Fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will also be held back-to-back, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“The Beijing Summit of the FOCAC last September marked a new high point in China-Africa relations, with both sides reaching broad consensus on jointly advancing modernization and building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era,” Song said, noting that the ongoing current ministerial meeting and trade expo are key platforms to further advance the leaders’ consensus and the summit outcomes.
Highlights of the new round of exchanges may also include upgrading industrial parks and economic zones, and deepening cooperation in areas such as security and trade, Song said. “It is now crucial to define concrete modes of cooperation to ensure that China’s development support is precisely aligned with the development priorities and needs of African countries,” he noted.
Safeguarding international trade
On Wednesday, China and 53 African counties and the African Union Commission released the China-Africa Changsha Declaration on upholding solidarity and cooperation of the Global South, according to a release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The declaration said that “Given that certain countries’ attempt to disrupt the existing international economic and trade order by tariffs undermines the common good of the international community, we call on all countries, the US in particular, to return to the right track of resolving trade disputes through consultation based on equality, respect and mutual benefit.”
The declaration calls on the international community to uphold true multilateralism, jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and balanced to foster a better trade, investment and financing environment for the Global South.
Yang Baorong, director of African Studies at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that many African countries still face low levels of industrialization and a narrow export structure dominated by primary products, which limits their ability to achieve major breakthroughs and makes them vulnerable to the US sweeping tariffs.
China has offered extensive zero-tariff and trade facilitation measures to African partners. The early results have already shown great potential for complementary trade among developing countries. Deepening these facilitation efforts and promoting industrial cooperation will help strengthen broader, multi-layered partnerships across China, Africa and wider Global South countries, and provide greater resilience against the risks of trade and tariff wars, according to the expert.
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, over recent years, spearheaded by FOCAC, China-Africa relations have achieved great leaps forward. China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China have established strategic partnerships, and China has been the largest trading partner for Africa for 16 years in a row. Since the FOCAC Beijing Summit last year, China has made an additional investment of over 13.3 billion yuan, and provided funding of over 150 billion yuan to Africa. In the first five months of this year, China’s imports and exports with Africa reached 963 billion yuan, up by 12.4 percent year-on-year, hitting a record high for the same period of the year in history.
In the past, global trade focused too much on developed markets, neglecting the growth potential and needs of developing nations, Yang said. “As consumption in developed countries nears saturation, Africa and Global South countries offer vast opportunities. Unlocking this potential strengthens China-Africa ties and South-South cooperation, which will send a clear signal amid rising global trade barriers, fostering more stable, high-quality cooperation across the Global South,” Yang said.
In the face of rising protectionism and bullying from the US and some in the West, China and Africa are deepening trade ties and jointly opposing unilateralism. This will not only boost Africa’s development, but also reinforce the Global South’s confidence, reflecting developing nations’ shared commitment to solidarity, cooperation and multilateralism, Song said. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
