China pledges to help Africa develop as ‘land of hope for the 21st century’

Foreign Minister Wang Yi stresses support for an African ‘voice in international affairs’ as ‘crucial to the shared destiny of humanity’

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Workers from Niger and China work on an oil pipeline, one of the scores of Chinese-funded projects across the continent. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:37pm, 7 Mar 2025Updated: 4:39pm, 7 Mar 2025

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged on Friday to help Africa accelerate its economic development as Beijing looks to strengthen ties at a time when the United States is cutting off aid to the continent.

Wang’s comments, made during his press conference at the annual political event known as the “two sessions”, included pledges to help the continent “speed up the process of industrialisation and modernisation in agriculture” and keep up with the development of “digitalisation, green sectors and artificial intelligence”.

He also said Beijing would promote Africa’s “representation and voice in international affairs”, adding: “Africa is the land of hope for the 21st century; without the modernisation of Africa, there can be no modernisation of the world.

“The stability and development of Africa are crucial to the shared destiny of humanity. The world should listen to Africa’s voice and pay attention to its concerns.

“Africa is undergoing a new awakening, and all nations should support Africa in forging a new path of self-reliance and self-strengthening development.”

The foreign minister also pointed to Beijing’s efforts to help improve governance and the establishment of more than a thousand projects to help improve livelihoods – two areas where Beijing has traditionally provided strong support for African countries.