Interview: China-Africa expo highlights deepening economic ties, says Zimbabwean expert

The ongoing China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) showcases the deepening economic ties between China and Africa and serves as a platform for advancing pragmatic, mutually beneficial cooperation, a policy expert told Xinhua on Friday.

HARARE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) showcases the deepening economic ties between China and Africa and serves as a platform for advancing pragmatic, mutually beneficial cooperation, a policy expert told Xinhua on Friday.

"The ongoing CAETE shows that China and Africa can work together to develop pragmatic solutions that will enhance cooperation and mutual benefit, while enhancing sustainable development and modernization in Africa," Munetsi Madakufamba, executive director of the Southern African Research and Documentation Center, a Zimbabwe-based think tank, told Xinhua in a written interview.

Noting that trade between China and Africa has expanded significantly since the inception of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, Madakufamba said platforms such as CAETE help further deepen trade, drive Africa's industrialization and narrow trade disparities.

"Africa aspires not only to import finished goods but also to develop its manufacturing sector, which requires the development of infrastructure and machinery to produce finished goods," he said, adding that Africa welcomes China to establish more manufacturing hubs in Africa to facilitate the continent's modernization and industrialization.

Such cooperation, he added, would allow Africa to leapfrog with cutting-edge technology and build robust industrial capacity, while creating new trade and investment opportunities for both sides.

Besides strengthening economic and trade relations, Madakufamba said that the expo also aligns with the 10 partnership action plans proposed at last year's FOCAC summit.

During a ministerial meeting in Changsha city ahead of the expo, China announced plans to extend zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties. Madakufamba praised this commitment as a major step forward in boosting trade and deepening Sino-African cooperation.

"In today's environment characterized by trade wars and worldwide tariff impositions by the United States, the CAETE presents a platform for pragmatic solutions that have the potential to balance global trade," he said, noting that engaging with African entrepreneurs and innovators is essential to address the unique demands of the African market.

The expo is further evidence of China's commitment to economic globalization, multilateralism, and the sharing of development gains with the world, he added. ■