Summit shows China and Africa stand shoulder to shoulder in spirit of amity: China Daily editorial

It is unequivocal that the 10 partnership actions that President Xi Jinping put forward in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation Summit in Beijing on Thursday are of great pertinence for Africa's development.

It is the common aspiration of African countries for the modernization of the continent that has seen them embrace the forum, as they know from historical experience that China is not only committed to, but more importantly has the ability to help them realize that goal.

Those who have an ax to grind against China and wish to drive a wedge between it and African countries try to present a neocolonial view of Sino-African relations, alleging China is exploiting African countries and ensnaring them in debt traps. They hope to sabotage the Sino-African solidarity that threatens to move the ex-colonial powers' cheese. Thanks to nearly 70 years of tireless efforts from both sides, the China-Africa relationship is now at a new era of development in history, and as representative members of the Global South, they are making joint efforts to promote fair and just reforms of the international order.

As the leaders from the majority of African countries, as well as those of the African Union and the African Union Commission, have made clear by gathering in Beijing, those trying to hammer in wedges between China and African countries are essentially toiling in vain, like Sisyphus trying to roll his rock up a hill.

The view they are trying to peddle belies the reality of the Sino-African relations conducted on an equal footing, in good faith, in pursuit of shared benefits. The data show that most of the debt pressure on the shoulders of African countries is from private lenders in the developed countries. That these hammer-wielders retain a colonial mindset is evidenced by their imputation that Africans are unable to see the true nature of China's cooperation.

In fact, African countries have learned from bitter experience, that apart from some regular symbolic foreign aid programs, few developed countries are willing to offer them sincere support to help them catch up with the world's development trend, desiring instead to keep them dependent so they can continue to be exploited for their natural resources.

The developed countries don't even bother to use the cheap labor forces on the continent after weighing the costs of inputs for training and management, not to mention the huge funds required for infrastructure construction and capacity building, in the form of public services and governance capabilities.

What is more important to Africa than the tangible benefits that will be the fruits of the promised investment and assistance to be provided by China —which will amount to 360 billion yuan ($50.7 billion) over the next three years, in the forms of a 210 billion yuan credit line, 80 billion yuan of assistance in various forms, and at least 70 billion yuan of investment in Africa by Chinese companies — is the country's emphasis on sustainability, inclusiveness, peace and stability, and putting people first.

As President Xi said in his speech, China and Africa can get stronger and more resilient together by riding the tide of economic globalization, delivering tangible benefits to billions of ordinary Chinese and Africans, and elevating their ties to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

China and Africa account for one-third of the world population. Without their modernization, there will be no global modernization. In the next three years, China will work with Africa to take the 10 partnership actions Xi proposed for modernization to deepen China-Africa cooperation and spearhead the modernization of the Global South and the realization of a fairer and more stable world.