Chinese premier urges deeper China-Africa cooperation for common modernization

During his ongoing trip to Africa, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for deeper China-Africa cooperation to create broader room for future collaboration and advance common development, as reflected in a range of pro-development China-Africa projects.

In talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of the 20th Group of 20 (G20) Summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Li said on Friday that China is ready to continue working with South Africa to carry forward their traditional friendship, and expand cooperation across various fields, so as to better promote the common development of the two countries, as well as unity and cooperation between China and Africa as a whole.

China and South Africa have jointly initiated a cooperative initiative to support Africa's modernization, and encourage the international community to increase attention and investment in Africa, he said.

De Aar Wind Power Project, the first wind project in Africa developed, built and operated by a Chinese power company, now stands as South Africa's largest operational wind farm, supplying clean electricity to about 300,000 households and thus helping ease the country's power shortages.

Standing as a flagship example of long-standing China-South Africa cooperation, the project exemplifies how joint efforts can turn Africa's modernization aspirations into tangible results.

"De Aar has really, really, really benefited so much," said Thabiso Moleko, a deployment counselor with the De Aar Department of Employment and Labor in South Africa's Northern Cape Province, noting that the wind power project has fostered skills development among local people.

"In the future, as a resident of the Northern Cape myself, we really want to see a big collaboration, want to see people working, want to see a better De Aar, want to see a better South Africa," Moleko said.

During his official visit to Zambia on Thursday, Li attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway revitalization project in Zambia's capital of Lusaka, where he said that China-Africa cooperation has embarked on a new journey toward the shared dream of modernization.

Describing the railway as a landmark project of China-Africa cooperation, Li said that China stands ready to work with Zambia and Tanzania to ensure that this railway, brimming with hope, shines with renewed splendor in the new era, and injects greater vitality into the development of Tanzania and Zambia, and even the entire Africa.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Tanzanian Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi, who attended the ceremony together with Li, said that revitalizing the railway embodies the shared future of the three nations and their joint efforts to build a better tomorrow, and that the railway will become a vivid example of how Chinese and African people carry forward their friendship and work together for revitalization.

Also at the ceremony, Li said that China will help implement more "small and beautiful" projects in areas such as healthcare, poverty alleviation and agricultural development along the line to better improve people's livelihoods.

"Smile Journey," a Chinese medical program aimed at providing free surgical treatment to local patients with cleft lips or palates, was launched in Zambia earlier this month, a testament to China's commitment to such projects in Africa.

As one of the outcomes of last year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, the program is expected to benefit about 60 Zambian patients with the condition.

The trajectory of deepening China-Africa cooperation is clearly visible in the steady growth of trade and the alignment of policy frameworks.

At the 2024 FOCAC summit, China announced that it would give all the least developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations, including 33 African countries, zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, becoming the first major developing country and first major economy to take such a step.

This year, China has done even more to share its market dividends, extending the treatment for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations.

Li highlighted the policy in separate meetings with the presidents of Zambia and South Africa, stressing its role in boosting bilateral trade and expanding cooperation across multiple sectors.

China is ready to work with Zambia, taking the implementation of China's zero-tariff treatment for Zambia as an opportunity, to expand bilateral trade and tap cooperation potential in industrial sectors such as mining, new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence, Li told the Zambian president on Thursday.

By lowering trade barriers and expanding import quotas, the policy enables developing nations to integrate into global value chains on fairer terms, a move hailed by experts on Africa.

"Africa is the continent with the largest number of least developed countries, and China's zero-tariff measure aims to drive industrial cooperation upgrading through large-scale trade, enhance China-Africa cooperation, and encourage more countries from the Global South to jointly pursue modernization," said Yang Baorong, a researcher at the China-Africa Institute.