China is helping African countries upgrade their infrastructure, from telecom networks to high-speed railways, as the world's second-largest economy brings cash and technologies to the continent.

China's investment in Africa has continued to grow as it has remained the continent's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, according to a report released by the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation on Friday. The report was presented at the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) that kicked off on Thursday.

The report said China's direct investment in Africa exceeded $47 billion, over 70 percent of which is invested in construction, mining and manufacturing businesses.

Africa is the second-biggest market for Chinese contractors, generating new deals worth over $73.2 billion in 2022. Most of the projects are in the transportation construction, general construction and electricity construction sectors.

Zhang Wei, vice president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said the cooperation between China and Africa can be complementary to each other.

Between 2000 and 2020, China-Africa cooperation has yielded an array of results, including over 13,000 kilometers of roads and railways, and more than 80 large-scale electricity infrastructure projects. China also assisted in building over 130 medical facilities, 45 gymnasiums and over 170 schools.

The cooperation benefited over 160,000 local residents who were trained for different sectors as well, according to a white paper released by China's State Council Information Office in 2021.

Transportation networks as focus

Back in 2015, China and the African Union signed an agreement aiming to boost the construction of railways and highways, as well as regional aviation networks, which are essential to elevating economic and trade exchanges in Africa.

In the following five years, the total investment in Africa's infrastructure projects reached nearly $200 billion, according to the white paper.

Ethiopia is one of the many examples of infrastructure cooperation, as China is contracted to build a modern electric railway and high expressway in Ethiopia, both of which are the country's first.

The 752.7-kilometer Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, connecting the capitals of Ethiopia and Djibouti, is the first electric railway a Chinese company has constructed outside of China with full Chinese standards and all Chinese components. It started commercial operation in 2018, which shortened the trip from days to just a dozen hours, cutting down the freight cost by 30 percent.

The Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya is another flagship project of China-Africa cooperation.

The 480-kilometer rail line, linking the largest port in East Africa, Mombasa, to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, was built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation and officially opened to traffic in 2017. It is Kenya's first modern railway in over 100 years. According to the paper, the railway has transported 5.415 million passengers and created over 46,000 jobs for local residents. Since the construction, the Chinese experts have devoted their efforts to training the local staff members with technology know-how.

China also carried out various railway or highway construction projects in other African nations such as Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Gabon, etc.

Since 2000, Chinese companies have participated in the construction and upgrade of more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of highways, nearly 1,000 bridges, 100 ports and 66,000 kilometers of power transmission and distribution lines in Africa.

In addition, China also helped build up multiple special economic and trade cooperation zones and industrial parks in Africa to accelerate local industrialization, attracting Chinese companies and others to invest. Local operations for production and processing have been set up, providing increasing jobs to the locals and tax revenue, speeding up local industrialization and technology cooperation.

For example, in April, China's telecommunication giant Huawei announced its 5G digital cement factory project in Uganda with a local telecom operator and cement company. It's the first case of 5G technology being applied to Uganda's manufacturing industry. The project can boost production efficiency and provide real-time monitoring of daily operations.

Expanding to more emerging industries

China not only helped African countries develop healthcare, trade and infrastructure but also emerging industries such as the digital economy, green industry and vocational education.

China has helped 18 African countries establish 20 centers in various medical specialties, expanding from cardiology and critical care medicine to trauma and endoscopy. China also established cooperation with 45 hospitals in 40 African countries.

Since 2018, China has worked with several African countries, such as Egypt and South Africa, to build up Luban workshops to promote vocational education, nurturing talents with professional skills that are in high demand for Africa's striving economic development. China and Africa have cooperated to establish 61 Confucius Institutes and 48 Confucius Classrooms on the continent for Chinese teaching, bridging communication among the people.

China also worked with African nations to build a slew of collaborative research centers and labs. In Egypt, China helped build a center for satellite assembly, integration and testing. A ceremony was held on Friday to mark China's recent delivery of a remote sensing satellite, MisrSat II.

The cooperation between China and Africa is expected to grow closer and expand to more sectors. According to the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035, China-Africa annual trade is expected to reach $300 billion in 2035. China will also invest another $60 billion in Africa by 2035, especially in support of African agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, environmental protection, digital economy and blue economy.