Interview: Chinese FM's Africa visit to enhance China-Africa cooperation

ACCRA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's ongoing visit to Africa will further strengthen China-Africa cooperation in various fields, a Ghanaian expert has said.

"It has been a continuing tradition for Chinese foreign ministers to begin their annual first overseas visit to Africa, which highlights the importance China attaches to the China-Africa partnership," Paul Frimpong, executive director of Africa-China Center for Policy and Advisory, a Ghana-based think tank, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"For me, the visit sits well in the context of how China values its partnership with Africa and African people, and I am sure the visit will give African nations a good chance to collaborate more with China," Frimpong said.

Frimpong expressed optimism for Qin's visit, saying he believes the countries Qin will visit are poised to tap into the opportunities for more win-win cooperation with China as the growing trade volume reflected a robust momentum in China-Africa cooperation.

China has always put the mutual benefits all along in the process of cooperation, Frimpong said, insisting that both its investment in infrastructure and efforts to advance the continent's technological development have yielded tangible results for Africans.

Frimpong also hailed the just-completed China-aided Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as a positive development in China's efforts to boost Africa's public health sector.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has been beefing up efforts to support African countries with various medical supplies, which played an essential part in Africa's fight against the pandemic, said the expert, who looks forward to seeing more positive results achieved from the minister's visit.