President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech on the opening ceremony of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation at the Great Hall of the Peoplein Beijing on Monday.

In his speech, he announced a raft of renewed measures to elevate China-Africa cooperation as more than 50 African leaders gathered in central Beijing for a major event.

Δ Journalists are watching President Xi Jinping’s speech on the opening ceremony of the FOCAC Beijing Summit in the Media Center at the Beijing International Hotel on September 3, 2018. (China Focus/ Cai Hairuo)

More than 1,000 journalists from home and abroad watched President Xi’s speech at the Media Center of FOCAC Summit at the Beijing International Hotel. They were in deep concentration and seemed deep in thought when Xi made the remarks.

Δ A journalist from an African outlet is checking his headphone to make sure he can hear President Xi Jinping’s speech via the French channel of the public signal. (China Focus/Cai Hairuo)

China Focus’ reporters interviewed four journalists from Egypt, Angola, Congo and Ghana to hear about their perceptions on the $60 billion financing to Africa, the eight major initiatives with African countries and building stronger China-Africa community with shared future mentioned in Xi’s speech.

Building a Closer China-Africa Community with a Shared Future

Δ Tarek Abdelghafaar Ahmed Eltaweel, the managing editor Egyptian Middle East News Agency (MENA) received an interview from China Focus reporters. (China Focus/Zheng Nan)

“President Xi Jinping stressed that the cooperation between China and Africa can benefit the two parties because it is not only limited in one-way benefit. It’s a win-win game,” Tarek Eltaweel, the managing editor Egyptian Middle East News Agency (MENA) told the reporters.

Africa is willing to be the part of the Belt and Road Initiative because it has brought Africa many benefits such as more investment, the technology transfer and more job opportunities for African young people. China can open its markets for the African products. Hence the future of Africa relationship between Africa and China is promising as the treatment between the two parties is equal, Eltaweel said.

When you see from eighteen century and nineteenth century, European countries and also America came in Africa, objective seems to take everything from Africa and go back to develop their own countries. If you look at last 10 to 20 years in Africa, since the time Africa is working with China, Chinese companies are building concrete projects in Africa such as new airports, new roads, new bridges, new buildings and other infrastructures that improves the well-being of people, Nkou Jean Claude, the director of Kamali’s Press in Brazaville Congo, also an advisor of strategic communication for the government.

Eight Major Initiatives with African Countries Are Crucial

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Δ Turki Fadoua, a journalist from Tunisain Express FM received an interview from China Focus reporters. (China Focus/Zheng Nan)

President Xi Jinping valued the cooperation with Africa in many aspects – industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, green development etc. We’re optimistic to see the pragmatic acts to be implemented in Africa soon,” Turki Fadoua, a journalist from Tunisian Express FM said.

The eight major initiatives with African countries are crucial to African development, especially the infrastructure construction. Those infrastructures such as roads, bridges, and houses are severely needed in Africa. African countries should take the eight major initiatives seriously, Vilola Santo Xavier, a journalist from Angolan Daily said.

It is important to see a country like China to develop its own project aligning with the partners. In Africa, we have a project called AU Agenda 2063. China has thought about Africa’s priority plan. The eight major initiatives can go together with Africa in the same direction. It’s really important, Nkou Jean Claude, the director of Kamali’s Press in Brazaville Congo, said in China Focus’ interview.

$60 Billion Financing Brings Benefits for the African Development

Δ Nkou Jean Claude, the director of Kamali’s Press based in Brazaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, received an interview from China Focus reporters. (China Focus/Zheng Nan)

One of the most important measures President Xi announced is a total of $60 billion of financing to Africa, which can bring benefits for the development in Africa. Nowadays different countrirs must cooperate between each other abiding by multilateralism because unilateralism goes nowhere, Vilola Santo Xavier, a journalist from Angolan Daily said.

?“We just hope that the $60 billion will be channeled into viable projects to generate employment for local people in those countries that are going to benefit from the money,” Benson Afful, a journalist from Ghana’s Business and Financial Times told the reporters.

China has done an excellent job in terms of investments in Ghana. However, we hope that China will bring factories to process raw materials in Africa, and then we can export the finished products. By way of doing that, economic independence will be created for Africa and its people, Benson Afful said.

The $60 billion financing will help Africa to improve its institutions in the charge of economic recovery, implement economic reform, fight against climate change, reduce the effect of desertification and other problems Africa suffer from, Tarek Abdelghafaar Ahmed Eltaweel, the managing editor Egyptian Middle East News Agency (MENA) said.

Zheng Nan, Cai Hairuo reported at FOCAC2018 Media Center.