China, Africa deepen cooperation as ‘Year of People-to-People Exchanges’ kicks off

Since the modern ties between China and Africa began about 70 years ago, each year has come with new and stronger dimensions, with both sides exhibiting greater commitment to deepening mutual understanding and trust.

However, the last few years have witnessed tremendous achievements and indisputable milestones, especially in trade, education, capacity building for youths, infrastructural development and exchanges.

Last year’s global trade war and high tariffs occasioned by the United States of America saw a positive shift inward by the Global South, with China providing a soft landing for African countries through its announcement of an export duty waiver for over 100 products coming from the African continent.

This gesture not only brought a sigh of relief to the unstable African foreign trade, but it further portrayed China as a dependable partner in Africa’s development. Such an unprecedented move also marked the largest market opening in the history of China-Africa trade and presented a strong example of global trade justice.

The development has also encouraged small and medium-scale enterprises and, by extension, supported national governments’ agenda on poverty reduction and revenue generation.

“The true breakthrough lies beyond tariff elimination. China is actively encouraging enterprises to invest in agricultural processing zones across Africa, helping local producers capture more value, leveraging the Silk Road E-commerce to connect African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) directly with Chinese consumers, and strengthening key digital infrastructure, including logistics and payment systems.

“More importantly, it shows that developing countries need not copy Western development paths. True modernisation starts with one’s own strengths by building the real economy, investing in infrastructure, and using smart industrial policies to drive growth.