China is implementing a series of targeted measures to foster a favorable environment for private enterprises and promote growth in the private sector, said an official with the country’s top economic planner. These initiatives focus on easing financing constraints, boosting investment, promoting trade, enhancing talent development and encouraging innovation, said Liu Min, deputy head of the private economy development bureau under the National Development and Reform Commission, during the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted…

In the digital control centre of the Chambishi copper mine’s southeast deposit in Zambia, a massive screen displays the status of various mining activities in real time: extraction, digging, machine operation, and transport.   Although machinery sounds can still be heard in the underground galleries, this “digital mine” relies more on an integrated computerised system than on traditional manual labour. “We can observe and understand underground activities in detail without going underground,” explained Dean Mwelwa, an executive at NFC Africa Mining…

Artificial intelligence (AI) was a hot topic at this year’s annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, also referred to as the Two Sessions. The recently released AI chatbot DeepSeek has quickly gained global attention and users with its rich features.  Daan du Toit, deputy director general of international cooperation and resources at South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation, believes China is already a world leader in AI…

The year 2025 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zimbabwe. During this period, China-Zimbabwe economic cooperation has deepened, especially in the fields of infrastructure construction, mineral resource development, and agriculture. The two sides have maintained a high degree of political mutual trust and have cooperated closely in international affairs. Cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts have expanded, and both nations continue to work together to further deepen their partnership. On this important occasion, Abigail Shoniwa,…

Farmer Luo Baozhen receives regular weather updates on her smartphone, which help her to better manage her tea farm. Once living in precarious conditions and struggling to make ends meet, Luo now earns as much as 28,000 yuan ($3,868) annually from tea plantation on her 8 mu (0.53 hectares) of land in Pu’er, Yunnan Province. The modernisation of farming and the use of high technology have become a daily reality for farmers and significantly boosted their incomes.  This remarkable transformation reflects the…

China and Kenya decided on Thursday to elevate their ties to a China-Kenya community with a shared future for the new era. The decision was made during talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kenyan President William Ruto in Beijing. Xi said that elevating bilateral relations to a China-Kenya community with a shared future for the new era is a strategic choice for both sides. African Times has published this article in partnership with Xinhua News Agency

BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) — China’s private sector saw robust industrial output growth in the first quarter of 2025, with its investment in manufacturing and innovation-driven development also accelerating. The sector, constituting more than 90 percent of enterprises in the world’s second-largest economy, has forged ahead with steady expansion as the country reaffirms unswerving support for the sector’s growth amid challenges and difficulties. In the latest episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News…

Infrastructure and energy are two important areas for African countries to achieve sustainable development, as well as are among the priorities in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the continent’s ambitious development blueprint. In February, Lerato Mataboge was elected as the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy. She is a global policy and trade and investment facilitation expert and was the deputy director general in the South African Department of Trade, Industry and Competition when she was elected.  Before she…

Rwanda and China have long enjoyed a robust partnership, characterised by mutual respect and shared development goals. This relationship has been further solidified by the planned Giseke Dam and Irrigation Project in Gisagara District, a venture made possible through a concessional loan from China.  The project is designed to irrigate 2,640 hectares of land, directly benefitting over 900 households and approximately 4,578 individuals by providing critical infrastructure for crop cultivation. Gisagara District, known for its large-scale rice farming, stands to…

Once the king of China’s silver screen, Hollywood now finds itself sidelined, as local blockbusters surge and Washington’s tariffs against the rest of the world add fuel to shifting audience sentiment. According to data released this week, Chinese animated feature “Ne Zha 2” has scored a thunderous success, raking in 15.2 billion yuan (about 2.11 billion U.S. dollars) at China’s box office in just 12 weeks. In stark contrast, the top-performing American film so far this year, “A Minecraft Movie”…