Roundup: Trade, FDI, respectful engagement strengthen China-Africa partnership for development

An exhibitor (R) briefs products to a visitor during the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) in Africa (Kenya) 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, May 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

China's growing trade and investments are pivotal for Africa's development, and provide crucial support to help African countries advance toward middle-income status, according to Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Turkish Center for Asia-Pacific Studies.

ISTANBUL, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- China has become a key partner of Africa's development through significant trade relations, foreign direct investments, and various forms of cooperation, all marked by respectful engagement, according to Turkish experts.

China's growing trade and investments are pivotal for Africa's development, and provide crucial support to help African countries advance toward middle-income status, according to Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Turkish Center for Asia-Pacific Studies.

African countries face persisting huge financial gaps in their drive to achieve sustainable development, and "in this context, China's growing economic interests and investments in Africa are crucial for providing the resources and fund needed for their development," Colakoglu told Xinhua in a recent interview.

In Colakoglu's view, initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) are key not only to boosting economic cooperation and trade but also to sharing China's experience in development and modernization with African countries.

The 2024 summit for FOCAC will be held in Beijing this September. Colakoglu believes that the event will advance China-Africa relations by establishing a roadmap for the upcoming period to further enhance their cooperation.

Semih Eryukseldi, who has 15 years of experience in Türkiye's automotive sector, highlighted that Chinese-made new energy vehicles (NEVs) play a significant role in contributing to the sustainable development of African countries.

Chinese driver Wang Aofei (L) guides trainee driver Awhangansi to make inspections on a train of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line before departure in Lagos, Nigeria, March 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Eryukseldi emphasized the importance of China's high-tech, high-performance vehicles and public transportation options -- whether hybrid or electric -- in making green technologies accessible to all.

"China's automotive sector, through investing in these countries and establishing production facilities as well as exports, ensures that these vehicles are available at affordable prices to all segments of society," he said.

Meanwhile, Baris Doster, an academic at Istanbul's Marmara University, highlighted that China has become sub-Saharan Africa's largest bilateral trading partner, surpassing traditional Western countries with historical influence in the region.

"There is a major difference between China's approach to Africa and the Western or Atlantic imperialism's approach," he said. "China does not interfere in the internal affairs of these countries, does not impose its values forcibly, and does not intervene militarily. It respects the independence, integrity, sovereignty, political unity, and the rights of these nations to choose their own government or leader."

Doster noted that China's respectful approach is one of the key reasons for developing relationships with Africa that go far beyond trade.