Chinese Premier Li Keqian gconcluded his four-nation African tour Sunday. This is Li's first visit to the continent since he assumed office as premier and also his first overseas travel this year.
Half a century ago, then premier Zhou Enlai's maiden tour to 10 African nations from December 1963 to February 1964 laid a solid foundation for Sino-African friendship and fraternity. Now Li's journey to Ethiopia, Nigeria, Angola and Kenya further consolidates the existing achievements, ushering the bilateral ties into a new phase of development.
During Li's visit, his delegation members and their African counterparts inked nearly 60 documents of development aid as well as cooperation projects on trade and investment. The agreements signed between financial institutions and corporations involve energy resources, manufacture, agriculture and infrastructure. Li also attended the 24th World Economic Forum on Africa in Abuja, Nigeria. Therefore, the economy dominates Li's African tour this time, with an aim to forge an upgraded version of Sino-African fraternal ties.
China has been the biggest economic partner of Africa for five years in a row and Nigeria and Angola are among the first ranks of Beijing's African trading partners. China has provided enormous assistance to launch projects across the continent for decades and such aid has gradually taken on a new form in recent years.
Since 2000 in particular, Beijing has implemented programs with commercial loans and signed agreements with some African nations, including Angola, Ethiopia and Equatorial Guinea, to carry out projects in exchange for natural resources.
These programs, covering a wide array of infrastructure, agriculture, education, transportation, energy, communications, and health under business pacts, have won the hearts and minds of the people on this once poverty-stricken and backward continent.
As a fast growing continent in the world, Africa has seen an economic growth rate of more than 5 percent and 6 to 7 percent in one third of African nations. Such a robust momentum of development calls for higher standards in a myriad of cooperation projects.
Hence, China has been enhancing trade and investment in complementary areas over the past decade, with increasing contribution to resources and manufacturing industries. Five out of the six China-aided economic cooperation zones, including the Oriental Industrial Park in Ethiopia and the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Nigeria, are in operation, each with 20 to 30 Chinese manufacturing firms involved.
Beijing's industrial structure fits Africa's economic demand. China, as a significant hub of labor-intensive industry, imports energy and natural resources from the African continent to process and then sells manufactured products to the rest of the world. This has long been a major impetus for close relations between China and Africa.
Meanwhile, Beijing exports practical and affordable goods to the massive African market and is now considering transferring some low-end manufacturing industries like toys, apparel and shoemaking to capable African countries, in a bid to further beef up its economy.
China has turned Africa into an attractive and vibrant region from what was a "hopeless continent" in the eyes of most Westerners just a decade ago.
During the past more than 30 years, Africa has been neglected by the West and seldom listed on the agenda of diplomatic priorities of major powers. However, sensing its economic vigor and diplomatic clout thanks to the large number of 54 countries and around 1.1 billion people, Western countries have started to explore its potential to serve their interests.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to promote Tokyo's economic and security cooperation with Africa while traveling there in early January. And Washington also eyes its huge market and longs to become a free rider in this development course. US President Barack Obama proposed several new initiatives for his Africa policy in hopes of regaining the US influence upon this long-ignored continent.
Nevertheless, the economic and trading structures of such developed states are somewhat alien to Africa's status quo.
The vast continent with incredible potential is becoming another arena of competition among traditional powers led by the US and its allies and emerging economies notably China.
Li's weeklong visit demonstrates Beijing's multidimensional foreign policy as well as the willingness for peaceful competition with other nations in Africa.
Premier Li returns to Beijing
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang returned to Beijing on Monday morning after visits to Ethiopia, Nigeria, Angola and Kenya.
During his stay in Ethiopia, Li visited the headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa.
While visiting Nigeria, Li also attended the 2014 World Economic Forum on Africa held in Abuja, capital of Nigeria.
This was the first time for the premier to visit Africa since taking office in 2013. His entourage includes his wife Cheng Hong.
China, Kenya signs deal on East African railwayChina and Kenya signed a co-financing deal on Sunday to build a railway linking Nairobi to Mombasa, a critical infrastructure project to boost regional trade and deepen integration in East Africa.
Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, together with presidents of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan as well as representatives from Tanzania, Burundi and the African Development Bank, witnessed the signing of the agreement.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Li said the presence of the African leaders and their representatives demonstrated African countries' common desire to develop railway network in East Africa.
A country has to improve transportation infrastructure before its economy takes off, Li said, adding that China is ready to share its technology and experience in railway construction with all parties and cooperate with them in project design, construction, equipment, management, personnel training and financing.
The premier said interconnection in East Africa and in Africa at large will fundamentally boost economic development of African countries. >>>More
Chinese premier urges China, Africa to enhance media cooperation
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called on China and Africa to enhance media cooperation on Sunday.
Chinese and African media outlets should report the developing world in an objective and just manner, and make the voices of the developing countries heard in the world, Li said when visiting the China Central Television (CCTV)'s Africa bureau in the Kenyan capital.
Li urged the CCTV bureau to cover African affairs with an African perspective. The bureau, set up in 2012, covers African news in the fields of politics, economy, society and culture, and also provides African viewers with programs about China.
Li also said he is pleased to see Chinese and African staff cooperate joyfully with each other. Currently, two thirds of the CCTV bureau's 100-strong staff are locals.
Li encouraged the Chinese media to produce more programs of high quality to give the world a better understanding of China and Africa.
China to invest in Kenyan aviation
China's Hainan Airlines would sign a deal with Kenya's cargo airline Astral Aviation to jointly explore the markets of East African countries, a Chinese official said Saturday.
Cooperation documents were expected to be signed during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Kenya, which ran from Friday to Sunday.
The deal would also involve the China-Africa Development Fund, established by China in 2007 to help its companies cooperate with African counterparts, the official said, without giving any specific amount.
Under the deal, Hainan Airlines would take shares in Astral Aviation, and the new entity would provide civil aviation service in Kenya and other East African countries, with Nairobi as the center.
At the initial stage there would be five 50-seat Embraer E-145 planes to fly between Nairobi and neighboring countries. When market grows, the fleet may be expanded and air routes extended to West and South African air transport hubs.
The Kenyan government plans to develop its aviation sector, which coincides with the China-Africa regional aviation cooperation program initiated by China, the Chinese official said.
Li said earlier this week that China would like to cooperate with African countries to help the continent build regional aviation network.
The Chinese premier arrived here Friday for a visit to Kenya, the last leg of his first Africa tour since he took office in 2013.
