Xi Jinping — true friend of Africa

CUT PATHS AND BUILD BRIDGES

Over the past decades, at every critical point in China-Africa relations, both sides have taken a long-term view, identified new shared interests and cooperation opportunities, and elevated bilateral ties to new levels.

Xi described such an enterprising China-Africa spirit as "to cut paths through mountains and build bridges across rivers." In his eyes, "good faith" should be honored when solving problems.

Take bilateral trade. Xi frequently discusses expanding Africa's agricultural exports to China with the continent's leaders.

During Beninese President Patrice Talon's visit to China in September last year, he and Xi jointly witnessed the signing of an agreement on exporting Benin's fresh pineapples to China, officially granting quarantine access for Beninese pineapples.

As of June 2023, 16 agricultural products from 11 African countries have accessed China through the "green channel," with more African specialty commodities entering the Chinese market. In the first seven months of this year, China's imports from Africa reached 426.65 billion yuan (about $60 billion).

By the end of June this year, China had granted zero tariffs on 98 percent of tariff items from 27 least-developed African countries, and signed bilateral investment promotion and protection agreements with 34 African countries, as well as double taxation avoidance agreements with 21 African countries.

China's trade promotion measures have significantly boosted Africa's exports to China, reflecting China's principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests. "In doing so, China follows the principle of giving more and taking less, giving before taking and giving without asking for return," Xi said at the 2018 Beijing Summit of FOCAC.

Former Deputy Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme and Kenyan economist Hannah Ryder told Xinhua that a defining feature of cooperation with China is that African needs drive it.

Still, Western critics claim China's relations with Africa are driven by "neocolonialism." Responding to such accusations, Angolan President Joao Lourenco said in a recent interview with Chinese media, "We understand well what colonization is. China is here not to colonize us, but to cooperate with us."

In the coming days, leaders of China and Africa will gather to develop new plans for their shared development and the building of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

In a world of challenges and changes, China and Africa should march forward together, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, Xi said. "Brothers of the same mind can cut through metal."