China and South Africa on Sunday launched an initiative on cooperation supporting modernization in Africa.
The initiative was launched on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg running from Saturday to Sunday. It builds on commitments made at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit where China announced 10 partnership actions to support Africa's modernization.
This is a cooperation initiative between China and South Africa to support Africa's modernization and encourage the international community to increase attention and investment in Africa.
"The initiative on cooperation supporting modernization in Africa was jointly drafted by China and Africa. [It] bears distinctive African features and charts the cause for Africa's development. Its features include a huge population going together towards the goal of modernization, common prosperity for all. We believe each one should not be left behind, material and cultural ethnic progress, harmony between humanity and nature and very importantly, peaceful development. China has proven through its own practice that modernization is by no means a single-choice question, nor is it a privilege reserved for a small handful of countries," said Zhao Wenfei, Minister Counselor, Chines Embassy in South Africa.
The initiative also calls on other countries to enhance international cooperation on green infrastructure and green mining.
"The initiative comes amid urgent calls for deeper international cooperation in the field of mineral resources. Green and low-carbon development is injecting new impetus into high-quality development of the mineral sector and creating new development opportunities for all countries. The initiative paints a blueprint providing feasible paths towards green sustainable development in mining. It elucidates the concepts of green mining and minerals and identifies seven cooperation areas to share benefits through joint contribution in a flexible, practical manner," said Lin Feng, director general of the International Trade and Economic Affairs under the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
It is an initiative that has the backing of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
"We at UNCTAD are very committed, very supportive of the initiative that has been presented, and especially we have been participating in the green mining and minerals initiative that is so close to what we do. And let me start by saying that somewhere in rural South Africa, tonight, a family will turn on lights powered by the sun. In a village in Ethiopia, a clinic will refrigerate vaccines using battery storage, and Chinese technology and investments have made very important contributions for these awesome possibilities to exist at all," said Rebeca Grynspan, secretary general of UNCTAD.
The details of the initiative and how it will be rolled out have not yet been announced. But its launch is yet another reminder of the increasing cooperation between China and South Africa, whose impact is being felt in both countries and the wider African continent as well.
China, South Africa jointly launch initiative on cooperation supporting modernization in Africa
A group of experts said they are expecting China's economy to post steady growth in 2026 despite an increasingly uncertain global situation that posts challenges to the country's development.
The experts made the remarks in a recent interview with China Global Television Network in south China's tech hub Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.
An official for Qianhai, a special economic zone that has become a critical growth engine for south China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster, said that like other major economies around the world, China is also facing increasing challenges, but he believes the country will post steady growth in 2026.
"I mean [for] other major economies right now, they [are] kind of also facing a bit of challenges. Geopolitical risks are rising. Trade war [has] not yet completely ended. But having said that, I think [for] China, there is also a domestic-oriented economy. You know that 80 percent -- more than 80 percent -- is still domestic demand. And also we start to see some kind of, particularly in the areas like the new industries, but even in some kind of the broad-based industry, we still see the manufacturing investments keep rising despite the uncertainties, despite all these various kinds of pressures. I expect China's economy still going to remain kind of a stable piece of growth. [The growth rate of] four point five to five percent, I think, is still going to be quite achievable for the next twelve months or so," said Qu Hongbin, chief economist for Qianhai authority.
Greg Smith, chairman at AustCham South China, an institute for promoting Australia-China commercial relationship, said China's resilient partnerships with other countries around the world can help the country navigate through the uncertain global landscape.
"I think that you'd be a very brave person to bet against the Chinese economy. It's been resilient over a long period and it's gone through some fairly strong headwinds and come out with still the flag waving. Taking some of the issues that you're talking about with tariffs and the geopolitics that's in place, there's resilience in the partnership [which] is what all the countries are looking for in their trades. So the stronger relationships that you have, I think that's going to really be the bedrock to making sure that we do hit the 4.5 [growth] rate. I think all the countries around the world are looking for trusted partners to be able to work and trade with," said Smith.
Sunny Tan, chairman at the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), said he believes the rest of the world wants to be part of China's economic growth.
"I would say that China has a very, very good number -- achievable number. And I can see the big market by itself, the resilience, and also [it] is really providing a certainty in the time of uncertainty. Our country can continue to grow as planned. At the same time we can see very good interest from around the world, who wants to be part of this growth, and be wanting [who wants this growth] to be in China," Tan said.
Qin Youming, founder and CEO of Manifold Tech, a startup based in Shenzhen, said the entrepreneurs still see opportunities in globalization and companies should be quick in adapting themselves to the changing environment to survive.
"For market wise, we still see there are opportunities in globalization even though there are a lot of geopolitical matters going on. But the uniqueness of the Greater Bay Area, I think, is still unmatched, like the talents we can find here, the craftsmanship, the well experienced engineers here, is [are] still unmatched. I think even though there's uncertainty around the world, the business has to grow globally. Anyone who can adapt [themselves to] this quickly can survive," he said.
Experts expect China's economy to continue growing amid uncertainties in global landscape
