China makes pledge to upgrade partnerships

China's special envoy on African affairs highlighted the nation's unwavering commitment and unremitting actions in bolstering cooperation with Africa on Tuesday, saying the nation will continue to upgrade its pragmatic partnerships on the continent.

China and Africa will continue to expand cooperation in areas such as the digital economy, the blue economy — which is focused on oceanic resources — and green development, enhancing the alignment of economic and industrial structures and making their cooperation more dynamic, Liu Yuxi, special representative of the Chinese government on African affairs, told a news conference ahead of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

This summit, scheduled from Wednesday to Friday, is the largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years in terms of scale and the number of attending foreign leaders, Liu said.

A declaration and action plan will be adopted during the summit, he said.

The declaration will reflect consensuses between China and African nations on major issues, including working together to advance modernization and building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, while showcasing their resolve and confidence in strengthening cooperation on global governance, peace and security, and trade cooperation, Liu said.

The action plan will serve as a playbook for the nation and the continent to advance high-quality cooperation over the next three years, he added.

Liu described China-Africa cooperation as "open, confident and pioneering" rather than exclusive, saying that it has become a fine example of practicing multilateralism.

The cooperation has supported Africa's development capacity, helped improve the continent's business environment and created better conditions for fostering international cooperation with Africa, he said.

"History will not go back to the old days of colonialism and Cold War confrontation. Africa should not become a wrestling ground for major countries," he said, calling on the international community to listen to the voices of the continent and adopt an open-minded attitude in supporting its peace and development.

The cooperation between China and Africa is highly complementary in nature and has huge potential, Liu said.

While Africa has a demographic dividend and is accelerating its urbanization, he said China has advantages in terms of funding, technology and development experience.

Chinese companies have made mutually beneficial investments in Africa that have met the continent's needs, he said, adding that private companies from China are gradually becoming the primary source of the nation's economic and investment cooperation with Africa.

Trade between China and the continent reached $282.1 billion last year, with China's total investment in the continent reaching $40 billion. China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, and has remained the largest export destination for Africa.

Liu highlighted the strong resilience of China-Africa cooperation, saying that it is moving toward sustainable, high-quality development with a diversified cooperation structure.

Cooperation between China and Africa is undergoing major transformations, with the market playing a bigger role, he said.