At the China-Africa Forum, President Xi Jinping promises to create one million jobs on the continent and announces that China and African nations would strengthen their collaboration in a number of areas.
Over the next three years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has committed to provide over $50 billion in funding for Africa and to assist in the creation of one million employment on the continent.
“The Chinese government is willing to provide financial support amounting to 360 billion yuan ($50.7 billion) over the next three years,” Xi said on Thursday to African leaders in Beijing. He also pledged to assist in “creating at least one million jobs for Africa.”
According to official media, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and more than fifty African leaders are present at this week’s China Africa meeting.
African leaders have already clinched a number of commitments this week for increased collaboration in trade, energy, mining, infrastructure, and agriculture.
Xi praised relations with the continent as being at their “best period in history” as he spoke to the leaders at the forum’s opening ceremony in Beijing’s elaborate Great Hall of the People.
“China is ready to deepen cooperation with African countries in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investment,” he said.
Africa’s Biggest Trading Partner Is China
China, the second-biggest economy in the world and Africa’s biggest trading partner, has been attempting to access the natural riches found on the continent, which include rare earth minerals, copper, gold, and lithium.
Additionally, it has provided billions in loans to African nations, aiding in the construction of desperately needed infrastructure, but occasionally igniting controversy by piling massive debt on top of governments.
The summit’s side events saw a number of bilateral discussions that resulted in promises of increased cooperation on projects ranging from avocados to solar panels to railroads.
President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia announced after discussions on Wednesday that he had supervised an agreement between Beijing’s PowerChina and the nation’s state-owned power utility, ZESCO, to increase the usage of rooftop solar panels in Zambia.
In a joint statement, Nigeria and China committed to “deepening cooperation” in the areas of “transportation, ports, and free trade zones” among other infrastructure-related issues.
Extending Transportation Networks
In turn, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan secured a pledge from Xi to pursue fresh advancements on a long-stalled railway that links Tanzania with Zambia.
The goal of that project is to improve transportation in the continent’s resource-rich east.
According to a joint statement by the two nations, Zimbabwe also received commitments from Beijing for further collaboration in “agriculture, mining, environmentally friendly traditional and new energy (and) transportation infrastructure”.
According to the joint statement, Beijing and the country in southern Africa also decided to sign an agreement allowing the export of fresh avocados from Zimbabwe to China.
William Ruto, the leader of Kenya, added that Xi had pledged to allow agricultural goods from his nation to be sold in China.
The two parties decided to collaborate on the country’s Standard Gauge Railway development, which will connect Mombasa, a port city, with Nairobi’s capital. The railway was constructed with funding from Exim Bank of China.
Ruto also managed to obtain a commitment from China to work with more on the $1.2 billion Rironi-Mau Summit-Malaba road, according to Kenyan media.
Ruto requested a $1 billion loan from China last year in addition to the reorganization of current debt in order to finish other unfinished building projects. The nation owes China over $8 billion at this point.
