China to advance high-quality BRI ties with Africa

China will take further steps including deepening partnership in emerging fields, such as green development and the digital economy, to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with African countries in the coming years, according to a new report released on Thursday.

Officials said the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative has brought mutual benefits and shared prosperity for both sides, injecting fresh impetus into the economic and social development of African nations and helping build a stronger China-Africa community with a shared future.

They said the two sides will step up efforts to advance cooperation in policy coordination, infrastructure construction and strengthening of economic and trade ties, hoping to see the healthy, green and digital development of the BRI.

The report, which has been prepared by the Office of the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative and the National Development and Reform Commission, said that China and Africa will continue to advance BRI cooperation in fields such as healthcare, green development, the digital economy and artificial intelligence.

China and Africa will implement several livelihood projects such as growing mushrooms using Chinese technology, biogas promotion and greenhouse cultivation, the report said, adding that the enhanced cooperation aims to further increase Africa's capacity in realizing independent and sustainable development as well as help it accelerate poverty alleviation.

Speaking at a news conference in Beijing, Xu Jianping, director of the NDRC's Department of Regional Opening-up, said, "China has signed memorandums of understanding with 52 African countries and the African Union on jointly developing the Belt and Road."

Over the past few years, China and African countries have made steady progress in BRI cooperation, particularly in fields such as infrastructure connectivity, alignment of rules and standards, and people-to-people exchanges.

So far, Chinese companies have participated in building and upgrading more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 km of highways, nearly 1,000 bridges and 100 ports, and 66,000 km of power transmission and distribution lines in African countries. They have also helped build a backbone communications network of 150,000 km in Africa, the report said.

China-Africa trade reached a record high of $282.1 billion in 2023, showing strong resilience. As of the end of last year, China's direct investment stock in Africa exceeded $40 billion, official data showed.

Xu, from the NDRC, said the two sides will make more efforts to advance cooperation in the fields of healthcare, green development, the digital economy and innovation. They will deepen healthcare cooperation, advance green development, build a digital Silk Road, and actively explore new models for cooperation in technological innovation.

According to Xu, China and African countries will accelerate a cooperation mechanism for pairing up Chinese hospitals with African medical facilities and also facilitate the construction of China-Africa friendship hospitals.

The two sides will jointly implement green development initiatives and support the development of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, through various means including green credit, environmental protection funds and green bonds.

In terms of digital development and innovation, China and African nations will strengthen construction of related infrastructure, promote high-speed internet access in Africa, and support the development of smart cities in the continent.

More efforts will also be made to advance cooperation in information technology tools, including 5G, big data, cloud computing, fintech and AI, and support the establishment of China-Africa joint laboratories, partner institutes and technological innovation cooperation bases, Xu said.

China and Africa will build closer innovation cooperation partnerships, thoroughly implement the Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan, build the China-Africa innovation cooperation center, and continue to hold the China-Africa Innovation Cooperation and Development Forum, he said.

"China will help African countries cultivate more high-tech talent as well as share its experience in scientific and technological innovation development with them, jointly creating an open, fair, just and nondiscriminatory environment for technological development," Xu added.

Li Juan, deputy director of the National Health Commission's International Cooperation Department, said that as of now, China has established ties with 46 hospitals in 41 African countries and regions, jointly building 25 specialized cooperation centers. "We will continue to send high-level medical teams to African countries that need them, deepen cooperation between paired-up hospitals in China and Africa, and support the construction of key specialized centers, thereby jointly enhancing the development of medical services and healthcare in China and Africa," she added.