Working Together,Developing Together

Since China helped build the Tanzania-Zambia Railway in the 1970s， it has aided African countries in the construction of over 1，000 projects involving infrastructure， agriculture， medical care and water conservancy. Africa is also a major destination for Chinese overseas investment， which has been continuously on the rise. Economic aid and investment from China have helped boost local economies， provided large numbers of jobs， and improved local living standards. Relations between China and Africa have consequently flourished. Some foreign media， however， misconstrue the relationship as “neocolonialism.”

During a recent series of interviews entitled“Chinese companies in Africa” organized by the State Council Information Office， Chinese and African reporters， including one from Beijing Review， interviewed Chinese enterprises in Tanzania and Kenya on how they promote local development through investment and construction projects. Overwhelming evidence proves that China and African countries are equal partners in cooperation and they have achieved mutually beneficial outcomes through leveraging their complementary advantages.

With its comparative advantages in technology and funding， China is committed to helping African countries overcome the bottlenecks of inadequate infrastructure and talent that have long hindered their development， thereby turning the continents abundant natural and labor resources into economic growth drivers. Concurrently， China has aligned Africas devel- opment with its own growth in order to realize common prosperity.

Over the past few decades， China-Africa cooperation has borne rich fruit and set an example for South-South cooperation. In addition to building infrastructure such as roads， railways， bridges， hospitals and water projects， Chinese companies have also invested in telecommunications and Internet facilities， promoting the advancement of information technology in Africa.

The increasing investment by Chinese companies in Africa has attracted intense attention worldwide. The countrys economic activities have been politicized by certain Western media and misrepresented as looting of local resources.

However， the accusations are groundless， as providing support and help to Africa is a shared responsibility of the international community which is in the interests not only of African people， but also of people everywhere. In cooperating with African countries to facilitate their industrialization and agricultural modernization， China has substantially contributed to fueling Africas growth and bettering local peoples lives.

As interactions between the two sides grow， new challenges are likely to surface. Mindful of their shared interests and benefits， Chinese and African partners will enhance coordination and communication to address any problems in good faith through negotiation.