Growing together

The Chinese group’s entry dovetailed perfectly with Ethiopia’s five-year “Growth and Transformation Plan (2010-15)” when the government focused on light industry, seeking an industrial shift toward high-end manufactured products.

It is an example of how Chinese investment is creating a win-win situation for both Africa and China. And Guangdong in southeast China, Huajian’s home, is a role model for such mutually beneficial cooperation.

According to the Guangdong Provincial Government, in 2015 alone, the province invested in 28 projects in Africa, with new investment contracts totaling $510 million, a year-on-year growth of 317.1 percent. It raised Guangdong’s investment projects in Africa to 176 and the value of investment contracts to $1.46 billion. This has been possible due to the growing interconnectivity between Guangdong and African countries. By 2015, there were 25 international container liner routes from Guangdong to the continent and associations between Guangzhou Port, Port of Durban, South Africa,