Chinese and African people: The Belt and Road Initiative has brought more development opportunities to Africa

Xinhua News Agency, Abuja, October 25 (Reporter Yang Zhe Hou Ming) At the fourth session of the Abuja Forum in Nigeria held recently, many Chinese and African people discussed the development opportunities brought by China-Africa cooperation and the Belt and Road cooperation for Africa.

Speaking at the meeting, Cui Jianchun, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, said that the cooperation between China and Nigeria has achieved many tangible results and is one of the models of China-Africa cooperation. "We can say that our achievements are historic, especially in the construction of infrastructure such as railways, airports, hydropower stations and information and communication technology."

Mohamed ibn Chambas, Senior Representative of the African Union's Silence the Guns Initiative, said: "The Belt and Road Initiative has realized Africa-China production capacity cooperation and helped Africa achieve industrialization."

"Today, China has a strong manufacturing strength, from transportation to energy, from communications to medical equipment," Chambas said, "The Belt and Road Initiative provides a good opportunity to build global partnerships, boosting trade and infrastructure development."

Liu Hongwu, dean of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, has witnessed the continuous flowering of the Belt and Road Initiative on the African continent through many field visits.

"In the past decade, we have seen that the Belt and Road Initiative has brought transport infrastructure, energy, electricity, ports, terminals and Internet information technology to many African countries," Liu Hongwu said. "In the future, Africa's market resources and potential labor force will be further activated by connectivity, providing new impetus for Africa's development."

Nigerian entrepreneur Ramis Diko believes that Africa needs expertise in technology, management and operation of infrastructure construction, and China's investment in African infrastructure projects meets this demand.

Participants from both sides believe that China and Africa need more exchange platforms to expand people-to-people exchanges and deepen traditional friendship. Alieu Gusau, founder of the Gusau Institute of Nigeria, said that at a time when the global political and economic situation is changing rapidly, more attention must be paid to the effective cooperation between Africa and other regions, and the Abuja Forum can play a positive role in promoting Africa-China friendship, economic exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Source: 新华网