Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

With China-Africa trade cooperation deepening, China has proven through its practical support that it is truly helping Africa's development.

China's imports of African goods reached $60.1 billion in the first half of this year, up 14 percent year-on-year, Assistant Minister of Commerce Tang Wenhong said on Tuesday.

This remarkable growth showcases the vast potential of economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa, highlighting China's effective aid in enhancing the continent's trade capabilities.

China has attached importance to enhancing imports of high-quality and unique African products, making the substantial imports of agricultural products from Africa a crucial aspect of China-Africa trade cooperation. The scale of imported agricultural products from Africa has seen a consistent increase over the past seven years. 

In 2023, China-Africa trade reached a record high of $282.1 billion, while Chinese imports of African nuts surged by 130 percent, with imports of vegetables up by 32 percent and those of flowers up by 14 percent, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

China-Africa agricultural trade cooperation meets the demand in China for diversified agricultural products and provides African countries with a reliable export market, promoting the development of local agriculture and increasing farmers' incomes. 

In recent years, China-Africa agricultural cooperation has flourished, producing fruitful results in the technical assistance and training of agricultural experts, the transfer of advanced agricultural technologies, the building of agricultural parks, and the promotion of cultivation projects such as juncao, a hybrid grass and an important multifunctional agricultural resource developed and used for mushroom farming, and hybrid rice. Such cooperation has provided quality rice and vegetables to the African people and helped modernize the agricultural sector in Africa, Mao Ning, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a press conference on Tuesday.

While agricultural trade plays a crucial role, the long-term development of Africa hinges more strategically on cooperation in industrialization and emerging industries. By deepening cooperation in the industrial chain, China has helped Africa upgrade its level of industrialization and promote diversified economic development. These acts of collaboration have laid a solid foundation for Africa's sustainable development and export competitiveness, while elevating China-Africa economic and trade cooperation to new heights.

China's investment in Africa has evolved beyond traditional resource extraction to manufacturing, infrastructure construction, the digital economy and labor training. This diversified investment approach not only aids African countries in developing their industrial systems and boosting product value, but also elevates their competitiveness in the global market.

According to media reports, China has assisted in the construction and enhancement of over 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, almost 1,000 bridges and nearly 100 ports in Africa. These infrastructure projects have significantly improved connectivity, economic and social development, as well as industrialization and modernization across the continent. 

Furthermore, China is actively supporting African nations in developing the digital industry, bridging the digital divide and promoting digital innovation in Africa.

The fruitful results of China-Africa cooperation have effectively refuted Western stigmatization. For a long time, the West has been biased toward cooperation between China and Africa, viewing China's investment in Africa through a Cold War lens and even spreading malicious labels such as "neo-colonialism" and "debt trap." 

However, it is the West that has a notorious history of exploiting the continent. Aside from exploiting Africa's resources and wealth, Western colonization only brought turmoil and poverty to Africa, failing to truly assist African countries in achieving the development they required. Even in recent years, Western aid to Africa has often been accompanied by undesirable political conditions.

In contrast to the plunder of the West, China's investment and cooperation projects in Africa prioritize the participation and benefit-sharing of local communities. It's a stark contrast with the Western pursuit of self-interest. 

Through initiatives aimed at building infrastructure, improving transportation networks and enhancing the skills of the labor force, China has played a significant role in fostering Africa's economic development and social progress, demonstrating China's genuine commitment to supporting Africa's growth and development.