2018年CRI Potentials of China-Africa economic ties seen after FOCAC Beijing summit

 

Responding to the eight major initiatives on China-Africa cooperation announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the now-concluded 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum¹ on China-Africa Cooperation, numerous African ambassadors in Washington say they see potential of deepening economic partnerships² with China.

Diplomats³ from China and more than 30 African countries have attended a reception in Washington celebrating the FOCAC 2018 Beijing Summit.

Many of the African ambassadors have spoken highly of the achievements made during the summit, saying it reaffirms their confidence in a strong relationship with China.

Guinea was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to establish diplomatic relations with China.

The country's Ambassador to the US, Kerfalla Yansané, says ties between the two sides have been developing very well over the years, suggesting President Xi Jinping's speech in Beijing represents something new in China-Africa cooperation.

"We have always been friends, but now with the perspective of President Xi Jinping this cooperation is at a new level. And his views on international cooperation are also very realistic: to balance international governance to ensure that African countries and China working together for a win-win cooperation," says Yansane.

As part of his address to the FOCAC, President Xi Jinping announced Chinese plans to implement⁴ eight major initiatives with African countries in the next three years and beyond, covering fields such as industrial promotion⁵, infrastructure⁶ connectivity, trade facilitation, and green development.

He also pledged an additional 60 billion US dollars’ worth of financing to African countries.

At the Washington reception, African diplomats have suggested the new policies not only provide support for exising programs, but also ways to potentially diversify⁷ economic partnerships.

Gabon's Ambassador to the US, Michael Moussa-Adamo says African countries need to move away from their reliance on raw natural resource exports.

He says China has a lot of experience to offer in this area.

"You have to remember that in Africa today a lot of natural resources are taken out raw and there's no value added. So we can learn from China and other Asian countries how they were able to develop the countries on the Asian continent since 1960s. We have a lot to learn. We can learn that from the Chinese, how they did it in the past, the knowhow and the technology," says the ambassador.

Before his ambassadorship appointment, Kerfalla Yansané served as central bank governor, as well as the Minister of Finance in Guinea, giving him extensive experience in China-Guinea economic cooperation.

He says the current transition of the Chinese economy represents significant opportunities for Africa.

"My views on China are that for the last 30 years China was relying on export. But now China has a growing middle class so the wages are rising. China has to pay more attention to internal market than to the outside. This means that China may not be able to hold some traditional industries anymore and may have to outsource them to Africa where the labor⁸ price is still very low. So it means in this transition Africa could be a good partner for China given the fact that we have raw resources and manpower," says Yansane.

Kerfalla Yansané also says China's policy of further opening-up is acting⁹ as a bulwark¹⁰ against a global trend toward protectionism.

"China is trying to be more open. If China has a partner like Africa—a market of more than 1 billion people—this should be a very important force in the future. And then both will be able to influence the way world affairs are going," says Yansane.

The reception in Washington has been jointly¹¹ hosted by Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai, Gabonese Ambassador Michael Moussa-Adamo, and Serge Mombouli, Ambassador of the Republic of Congo and Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps¹².

1 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

2 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

3 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

5 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 bulwark   

n.堡垒，保障，防御

参考例句：

• That country is a bulwark of freedom.那个国家是自由的堡垒。
• Law and morality are the bulwark of society.法律和道德是社会的防御工具。

11 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

12 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。