China has hailed the significant progress in infrastructure development and connectivity in Africa under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Speaking at a regular press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian emphasized China’s commitment to supporting African countries in achieving sustainable development.
“Over the years, China and African countries have worked together to build and upgrade close to 100,000 kilometers of roads, more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 1,000 bridges, and nearly 100 ports,” Lin said.
He highlighted notable projects such as the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, and the Benguela railway, which have significantly improved transportation efficiency between coastal and hinterland areas. “The Kribi Deep Seaport in Cameroon can accommodate vessels that carry more than 10,000 tonnes of cargo, bringing development opportunities for landlocked countries,” Lin added.
Chinese companies have also contributed to Africa’s digital infrastructure, having helped build more than half of the continent’s wireless sites and high-speed mobile broadband networks, providing service to over 900 million African people. Lin noted that 52 African countries and the African Union Commission have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, striving to break their respective development bottlenecks.
“China stands ready to continue striving forward together with Africa on the road of win-win cooperation and common development,” the spokesperson said. He expressed the intention to seek greater synergy between the BRI and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, as well as African countries’ respective development strategies. “Let high-quality China-Africa cooperation on the BRI keep shining, and bring China-Africa connectivity cooperation onto a fast lane,” Lin concluded.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
