Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Lin Songtian has said co-operation between China and Africa will increase with a view to accelerating the industrialisation of the continent and the modernisation of its agriculture, New Era reports.
The Namibian newspaper quotes Mr Lin as telling an international meeting in South Africa that China will put US$60 billion into Africa as part of its co-operative effort.
“China wishes to support Africa in its development of independent and sustainable systems of industrialisation, food security, public health, and disease prevention and control,” Mr Lin said. “Most important, China aims to help Africa solve longstanding problems of jobs, food and health.”
The ambassador said that since 2015 China had spent over US$106 billion in Africa and created 209,000 jobs there.
“China has become Africa’s largest trading partner, and its main investor and engineering contractor,” he said.
The meeting he addressed, held in Johannesburg, was attended by representatives of Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Rwanda.
