China has been Africa's biggest trading partner over the last decade. At the present, Chinese enterprises have invested in Africa's infrastructure, energy development, mineral exploration, agriculture and other sectors, especially in Sudan and South Sudan.
“China has been a partner of Africa for quite a long time and it is a very successful partnership,” said Dirdeiry M Ahmed, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Sudan in an exclusive interview with CGTN.
Thanks to the development in China's oil industry, the country has developed strong political and business ties with Sudan. But there are also differing views concerning China's presence and its image in Africa.
“It is natural to talk about China's presence in Africa as a reality of life. We might be witnessing some problems, which is normal anywhere. But China-Africa relations have fewer problems than other relations do.” added the foreign minister.
High-level dialogue between Chinese and African leaders and business representatives and the sixth Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs held from September 3 to 4, 2018 in Beijing. /VCG Photo
But some Western media and local observers in Africa may accuse China of not showing a strong sense of responsibility in dealing with African countries' domestic issues such as human rights issues, African countries' political development, so on and so forth.
But the Sudanese foreign minister offered a different viewpoint, “Africa believes that China is a partner different from other partners in the world. A partner that takes business seriously. A partner takes no stance on internal politics. That is very important. Maybe it is the reason why China is now the first partner of Africa (in terms of importance).”
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed five years ago has been met with the so-called “debt trap” conspiracy theory manufactured by the Western media. But Mr Dirdeiry believes that the initiative outlines a bright future for Africa-China relations.
“Another reason for Africa to be very proud of having good relations with China is that China always comes up with innovative solutions for problems and risks in Africa. China is also coming up with a package of initiatives including the BRI,” Mr. Dirdeiry M Ahmed concluded.
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, contact us at opinions@cgtn.com)