The spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation has become the key to the success of China-Africa relations, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday at a press conference in Beijing.
"Seventy years since the start of diplomatic relations between China and African countries, China and a vast number of African countries have worked together in realizing national independence, sought cooperation and solidarity as the strength of the Global South grows, shared weal and woe in fighting natural disasters and epidemics and jointly pursued modernization. China and African countries have invariably stood in solidarity, shared weal and woe and grown together, setting a stellar example of a new type of international relations and joining hands together to take the lead in building a community with a shared future for humanity," she said.
"In the new era, President Xi Jinping has attached great importance to advancing China's relations with Africa. He put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and of pursuing the greater good and shared interests for China's relations with Africa. He promoted the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, which features sincere friendship and equality, win-win for mutual benefit and common development, fairness and justice, and progress with the times and openness and inclusiveness. The spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation has become the key to the success of China-Africa relations," Mao said.
"As important members of the Global South, China and Africa strengthens solidarity and cooperation and this will not only accelerate their pace toward modernization, but also contributes fresh wisdom to addressing global challenges. Africa constitutes a big stage for international cooperation. China is ready to work with all parties to make greater positive contributions to promoting peace, stability and development of Africa on the basis of respecting African countries' sovereignty," she said.
Spirit of China-Africa friendship, cooperation key to successful cooperation between two sides: spokeswoman
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
