China, African countries join forces to promote global peace and development

The 37th African Union Summit, scheduled to take place from Saturday to Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will look into how the continent can maintain momentum in addressing issues of peace, security and development.

The continent, which is home to many developing countries, is struggling with political crises such as internal conflicts and coups. For example, the fighting which broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan in April 2023 continues.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid his first overseas visit of 2024 to four African countries. When briefing the media on the trip, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted the volatile political and security situation in West Africa, especially in the Sahel region, has posed challenges to regional peace, stability and development.

Emphasizing that all countries in the Sahel region are good friends of China, Wang said China looks forward to the restoration of peace and the achievement of stability and development in the region as soon as possible.

Wang's visit continued the 34-year tradition of prioritizing Africa for the first annual overseas visits by Chinese foreign ministers, with the aim of deepening cooperation and realizing common development.

Wang's Africa trip shed light on China's deep-seated bonds and ironclad ties within the region, said Hannan Hussain, a special commentator for CGTN.

China, as the world's largest developing country, and Africa, home to many developing nations, have worked together in recent years to enhance economic and trade exchanges as well as deepen cooperation in fields including infrastructure and agriculture. 

China and Africa have seen closer ties in various respects since the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was formally founded in 2000.

The trade between China and Africa reached a historic high of $282 billion in 2023, representing a year-on-year growth of 1.5 percent, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce, which also shows that China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years.

In addition, investment cooperation between China and Africa grew steadily in 2023, and China is the developing country with the largest investment in Africa, said Jiang Wei, an official from the Ministry of Commerce.

Since the FOCAC was founded, Chinese companies have built or upgraded more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, roughly 1,000 bridges and 100 ports in African countries, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The Chinese-built Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Nigeria facilitates public transportation and fuels goods movement in the country.

A local businessman named Michael Egbo told Xinhua that he was delighted at the convenience and safety of using the train, adding that the railway will promote tourism and trade.

There are also other investment in industrial zones, agricultural development and talent training. 

While dedicated to improving local well-being in Africa, China also supports African countries in safeguarding their sovereignty and independence and enhances communication and consultation with African partners in a world full of uncertainty and instability.

As for the ongoing Sudan crisis, China has more than once called on the two parties to the conflict to put the interests of their country and people first and achieve an immediate ceasefire, and work together to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country.

Given African countries have actively mediated in hot spot regional conflicts such as those between Russia and Ukraine as well as Israel and Hamas, China has expressed support for their diplomatic efforts.

Last November, a delegation consisting of foreign ministers from countries including Egypt chose China as the first leg of their tour to push for an end to hostilities between the Palestinians and the Israelis. During their meeting, the Chinese foreign minister said China supports the delegation's efforts to de-escalate the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. 

Egypt, which played an important role in the first truce between Israel and Hamas, is one of the four African countries Wang visited in January.

Noting Egypt was one of the locations for Chinese foreign ministers' first overseas visits for two consecutive years, Liu Haifang, director of the Center for African Studies at Peking University, said this is closely related to the current complex and volatile geopolitical and security situation, showing that China is willing to cooperate with African countries to help promote global peace and security.