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Tanyaradzwa Rusike in JINHUA, China
CHINA is committed to increasing economic investment in Africa to facilitate the continent’s accelerated development and enhance the livelihoods of local communities, Vice Governor of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government Mr Lu Shan has said.
He made these remarks during the official opening of the Forum on China-Africa Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, last week.
The event follows the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Beijing and is aimed at facilitating the implementation of key resolutions from the summit.
The conference seeks to leverage regional strengths, fostering a platform for understanding, friendship and deeper cooperation between China and African nations.
Mr Lu said the forum was an opportunity to strengthen trade and commerce between China and Africa, particularly through Zhejiang province’s leadership in China-Africa relations.
“This province, which is the leading province in promoting China-Africa relations, will continue to support Africa and will elevate strategic collaborations rooted in a win-win situation,” he said.
“The province has hosted events and signed memoranda of understanding with African countries to deepen our bilateral relations.
“President (Mnangagwa) of the Republic of Zimbabwe and his delegation and other African countries toured the province to find areas where we can collaborate.
“China will continue to expand investment in African countries, and I am happy to say we have fruitful results from the ongoing cooperation.”
China’s investment in African countries, he added, has yielded positive results, with the investments now exceeding US$53,9 billion.
The African Union’s Permanent Representative to China, Mr Mohamed Osman, said Africa was the current and future frontier for development.
“This is an exciting time for Africa,” he said.
“The immense potential of the diverse continent has become tangible and will drive further progress in years to come due to the increase in domestic demand.
“The African continent has enormous natural resources, including about 65 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land and 30 percent of global mineral deposits, and more.”
Online Reporter