China Daily Global Edition (USA)
‘Bottlenecks’ addressed by cooperation
When it comes to Africa, Zhou Yuxiao has a lot to say.
He is China’s ambassador for affairs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Since he worked as a counselor at the Chinese embassy in Kenya in 1999, Zhou has maintained close connections with the continent. He worked in South Africa, Liberia and Zambia as either a counselor or ambassador from 2005 to 2014.
His latest trip took him to Zimbabwe for the inauguration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Aug 26.
“Once you go to Africa, you will love it. Once you leave, you will miss it,” Zhou said in an interview with China Daily.
The FOCAC Beijing Summit will help deepen the partnership between China and Africa in a broad range of fields, Zhou said, adding that he wants to see a more prosperous African continent.
The Beijing Summit, FOCAC’s third, is being held on Monday and Tuesday under the theme “China and Africa: Toward an Even Stronger Community with a Shared Future Through WinWin Cooperation”.
“China and Africa have long been communities with a shared future — from the old days, when they sought national liberalization, to today, when they both pursue socioeconomic growth and a more justified and reasonable international order,” Zhou said.
The past decades have seen China’s aid to Africa boost the development of the continent while it develops itself, he said.
“As a good friend and partner, China has always stood ready to provide due assistance to Africa while supporting the continent’s selfdevelopment,” he said.
However, Zhou added, the revitalization of the African Dream ultimately depends on the African people, since no country or international organization can decide the future of the continent with a population of over 1.2 billion.
At the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit in December 2015, President Xi Jinping announced 10 plans to build a China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. They included industrialization, agricultural modernization, infrastructure, poverty reduction, green development, peace and security and people-to-people exchanges.
Zhou said a mechanism under which coordinators at the ministerial level meet was set up in 2016 to implement the cooperation plan. It has materialized with proper arrangements in a solid manner, thanks to joint efforts, he said.
Inadequate infrastructure, lack of professional and skilled personnel and funding shortages are three bottleneck issues holding back Africa’s development, Zhou said, noting that the key cooperation areas between China and Africa are designed to address these issues.
China trained 30,000 officials and professionals for Africa in the past three years and provided scholarships to 20,000 African students as part of its efforts to help Africa break its development bottleneck.