{"id":8214,"date":"2024-09-02T16:22:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-02T09:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/?p=8214"},"modified":"2024-09-02T16:22:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T09:22:36","slug":"bri-deeply-integrated-into-african-development-more-pragmatic-cooperation-expected-in-focac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/?p=8214","title":{"rendered":"BRI deeply integrated into African development; more pragmatic cooperation expected in FOCAC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">BEIJING<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">Sept. 2, 2024<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212; The joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> has provided a high-level cooperation platform for <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> development.<\/p>\n<p>From <span class=\"xn-location\">Uganda<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Egypt<\/span> to <span class=\"xn-location\">Senegal<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Nigeria<\/span>, infrastructure, industrial parks and economic zones built by Chinese companies have mushroomed and become a strong engine driving <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> integration into the global industrial chain.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> will renew their friendship and discuss plans for further pragmatic cooperation during the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to be held in <span class=\"xn-location\">Beijing<\/span> from <span class=\"xn-chron\">September 4 to 6<\/span>. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of FOCAC and deliver a keynote speech on <span class=\"xn-chron\">September 5<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>The cooperation between <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> under the BRI framework emphasizes precise alignment with <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> shared strategic framework &#8211; the African Union 2063 Agenda &#8211; one of whose priorities is the realization of industrialization in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>In its issue of <span class=\"xn-chron\">May 13, 2000<\/span>, The Economist boldly described <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> as &#8220;the hopeless continent.&#8221; In the very same year, FOCAC was established.<\/p>\n<p>The narrative on <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> now has shifted to &#8220;a rise in the continent.&#8221; When tracking momentum projects that have contributed to unlocking <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> development, you can trace the progress back to <span class=\"xn-location\">China&#8217;s<\/span> flagship projects through BRI, <span class=\"xn-person\">Paul Frimpong<\/span>, the executive director and senior research fellow of the <span class=\"xn-location\">Ghana<\/span>-based Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory, told the Global Times.<\/p>\n<p>As of 2023, a total of 52 African countries as well as the African Union have signed a memorandum of understanding with <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> to jointly build BRI cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the integrated steel manufacturing plant set up in <span class=\"xn-location\">Zimbabwe&#8217;s<\/span> Midlands Province by Chinese firm Dinson Iron and Steel Company draws on upstream and downstream supply chains that go beyond <span class=\"xn-location\">Zimbabwe<\/span>, benefiting its neighbors in areas such as employment generation, and also helps to meet the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region&#8217;s infrastructure construction needs, Munetsi Madakufamba, executive director of the <span class=\"xn-location\">Zimbabwe<\/span>-based Southern African Research and Documentation Centre, told the Global Times.<\/p>\n<p>Madakufamba also emphasized the driving role of green development in energy cooperation within the BRI. Media reports said that investment in the energy sector accounts for about 40 percent of Chinese investment in BRI partner countries and regions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> brings its modern technology while taking into account potential negative impacts on the environment. The clean-energy project, like the power generation of the Kariba South Hydroelectric Power Station, meets the sustainable development aspirations of African countries,&#8221; Madakufamba said.<\/p>\n<p>African industrialization also requires the connection of facilities, which is where BRI is most visibly present in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Most of the current tangible infrastructure, such as rails and ports, that you see in many countries, including my own country <span class=\"xn-location\">Ghana<\/span>, has been built by <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span>,&#8221; Frimpong said. &#8220;It is all part of the BRI.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>An early result of BRI, the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), is a flagship project.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-person\">Song Wei<\/span>, a professor from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that &#8220;through the connection from the capital <span class=\"xn-location\">Nairobi<\/span> to the port of Mombasa, <span class=\"xn-location\">Kenya<\/span> will be further integrated into the global value chain. A lot of local workers have been absorbed to solve the local employment issue, and to promote the real improvement of local people&#8217;s living standards.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In addition, a core focus on how <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> is actively promoting the realization of industrialization in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> is the nurturing of talents required by the continent throughout this process, Song said.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, we have established Luban Workshops in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> to train the talents that African countries greatly require, Song noted.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> also supports <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> development through providing more opportunities in trade, which experts consider the most crucial tool for unlocking progress in the continent.<\/p>\n<p>Song listed examples such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE), which has offered complimentary standard booths to less-developed countries, while some Chinese e-commerce companies have also helped train online shopkeepers in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span>, boosting local cross-border e-commerce.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mutual understanding, not based on imposition&#8221; &#8211; This is the sentence that Frimpong, the scholar from <span class=\"xn-location\">Ghana<\/span>, used to describe <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span>&#8211;<span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>Echoing Frimpong, <span class=\"xn-person\">Rana Mohamed Abd El Aal Mazid<\/span>, the head and associate professor of political science at Suez Canal University in <span class=\"xn-location\">Egypt<\/span>, told the Global Times that the Chinese perspective is very different, with the keywords of &#8220;friends,&#8221; &#8220;let&#8217;s go together&#8221; and &#8220;Global South.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> insists on not interfering in any country&#8217;s internal affairs and does not attach any conditions. When <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> cooperates with <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span>, African countries are able to gain a level of respect and equality. This equal partnership has formed a model for how countries engage, Song concluded.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><!-- wp:html --><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">BEIJING<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">Sept. 2, 2024<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212; The joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> has provided a high-level cooperation platform for <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> development.<\/p>\n<p>From <span class=\"xn-location\">Uganda<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Egypt<\/span> to <span class=\"xn-location\">Senegal<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Nigeria<\/span>, infrastructure, industrial parks and economic zones built by Chinese companies have mushroomed and become a strong engine driving <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> integration into the global industrial chain.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> will renew their friendship and discuss plans for further pragmatic cooperation during the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to be held in <span class=\"xn-location\">Beijing<\/span> from <span class=\"xn-chron\">September 4 to 6<\/span>. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of FOCAC and deliver a keynote speech on <span class=\"xn-chron\">September 5<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>The cooperation between <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> under the BRI framework emphasizes precise alignment with <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> shared strategic framework &#8211; the African Union 2063 Agenda &#8211; one of whose priorities is the realization of industrialization in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>In its issue of <span class=\"xn-chron\">May 13, 2000<\/span>, The Economist boldly described <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> as &#8220;the hopeless continent.&#8221; In the very same year, FOCAC was established.<\/p>\n<p>The narrative on <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> now has shifted to &#8220;a rise in the continent.&#8221; When tracking momentum projects that have contributed to unlocking <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> development, you can trace the progress back to <span class=\"xn-location\">China&#8217;s<\/span> flagship projects through BRI, <span class=\"xn-person\">Paul Frimpong<\/span>, the executive director and senior research fellow of the <span class=\"xn-location\">Ghana<\/span>-based Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory, told the Global Times.<\/p>\n<p>As of 2023, a total of 52 African countries as well as the African Union have signed a memorandum of understanding with <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> to jointly build BRI cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the integrated steel manufacturing plant set up in <span class=\"xn-location\">Zimbabwe&#8217;s<\/span> Midlands Province by Chinese firm Dinson Iron and Steel Company draws on upstream and downstream supply chains that go beyond <span class=\"xn-location\">Zimbabwe<\/span>, benefiting its neighbors in areas such as employment generation, and also helps to meet the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region&#8217;s infrastructure construction needs, Munetsi Madakufamba, executive director of the <span class=\"xn-location\">Zimbabwe<\/span>-based Southern African Research and Documentation Centre, told the Global Times.<\/p>\n<p>Madakufamba also emphasized the driving role of green development in energy cooperation within the BRI. Media reports said that investment in the energy sector accounts for about 40 percent of Chinese investment in BRI partner countries and regions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> brings its modern technology while taking into account potential negative impacts on the environment. The clean-energy project, like the power generation of the Kariba South Hydroelectric Power Station, meets the sustainable development aspirations of African countries,&#8221; Madakufamba said.<\/p>\n<p>African industrialization also requires the connection of facilities, which is where BRI is most visibly present in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Most of the current tangible infrastructure, such as rails and ports, that you see in many countries, including my own country <span class=\"xn-location\">Ghana<\/span>, has been built by <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span>,&#8221; Frimpong said. &#8220;It is all part of the BRI.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>An early result of BRI, the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), is a flagship project.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-person\">Song Wei<\/span>, a professor from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that &#8220;through the connection from the capital <span class=\"xn-location\">Nairobi<\/span> to the port of Mombasa, <span class=\"xn-location\">Kenya<\/span> will be further integrated into the global value chain. A lot of local workers have been absorbed to solve the local employment issue, and to promote the real improvement of local people&#8217;s living standards.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In addition, a core focus on how <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> is actively promoting the realization of industrialization in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> is the nurturing of talents required by the continent throughout this process, Song said.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, we have established Luban Workshops in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> to train the talents that African countries greatly require, Song noted.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> also supports <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa&#8217;s<\/span> development through providing more opportunities in trade, which experts consider the most crucial tool for unlocking progress in the continent.<\/p>\n<p>Song listed examples such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE), which has offered complimentary standard booths to less-developed countries, while some Chinese e-commerce companies have also helped train online shopkeepers in <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span>, boosting local cross-border e-commerce.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mutual understanding, not based on imposition&#8221; &#8211; This is the sentence that Frimpong, the scholar from <span class=\"xn-location\">Ghana<\/span>, used to describe <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span>&#8211;<span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span> cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>Echoing Frimpong, <span class=\"xn-person\">Rana Mohamed Abd El Aal Mazid<\/span>, the head and associate professor of political science at Suez Canal University in <span class=\"xn-location\">Egypt<\/span>, told the Global Times that the Chinese perspective is very different, with the keywords of &#8220;friends,&#8221; &#8220;let&#8217;s go together&#8221; and &#8220;Global South.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> insists on not interfering in any country&#8217;s internal affairs and does not attach any conditions. When <span class=\"xn-location\">China<\/span> cooperates with <span class=\"xn-location\">Africa<\/span>, African countries are able to gain a level of respect and equality. This equal partnership has formed a model for how countries engage, Song concluded.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:html --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cision-pr-newswire","category-cision-pr-newswire-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8214\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thaipropertynews.com\/feeds\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}