In the heart of South Africa’s rugged Swartberg and Koue Bokkeveld mountains lies the alps towering majestically above fertile citrus farmland, forming a wall that sustains enough rainfall to attract farmers to the south.  Siabonga Mbete, 34, grows tangerine – a small seedless fruit of the citrus family that is turning South African farmers into millionaires.  As trucks veer off the dusty road into farmlands to collect some tangerines and lemons at Mbete’s smallholder farm located in Eastern Cape Province…

June this year marked a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral trade ties and facilitating smoother customs procedures between Uganda and China.  The first day of June is the date on which China and Uganda officially launched Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) in Uganda at a ceremony held in the country’s capital Kampala.  The two countries on that day activated the mutual recognition agreement, signed in 2021, to recognise each other’s AEOs. Due to the outbreak of the…

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune visited China on 17-21 July at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, receiving a warm welcome from the Chinese government and people.  The Chinese people often describe the China-Algeria bond as an enduring friendship deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples. Whenever the restoration of China’s legitimate seat at the UN in 1971 is mentioned, the Chinese people would be reminded of the friendly name of Algeria, one of the countries that made…

Ten years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled an economic and infrastructure blueprint to promote connectivity and boost trade and development. To date, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has transformed and improved the lives of millions of people across more than 150 participating countries worldwide. On the BRI’s 10th anniversary, it’s perhaps fitting to retrace Xi’s thought process and the steps taken since its launch in 2013.  In the book series Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, the BRI…

Nathan Bagarukayo, an aeronautical engineering graduate from Beijing’s Beihang University, is grateful for the chance he had to study in China and credits his professional success to the quality of education he received in China.   “I learned so much during my time in China, and the skills and knowledge I acquired have been invaluable in my professional life. I’m proud to be a graduate of a Chinese university,” he told ChinAfrica from his home in Rwanda.   But Bagarukayo is not…

The 2023 China in Dialogue with the World, themed “Xiamen Tour for Global Young Leaders,” took place in Xiamen from 12 to 14 November. Sixteen young leaders from 12 different countries, including the US, France, Italy, Russia, Denmark, South Africa, Egypt and Pakistan, visited Xiamen Special Economic Zone Memorial Hall, Hairun Terminal, Yundang Lake, Gulangyu Island, youth-led businesses, and Lianhua Township. The purpose of the visit was to discover Xiamen’s practices and long-term plans for exploring the way forward under the Global…

In August, the Swahili version of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China Volume I was launched in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the first time that the book is published in an African country in the local language. Xi Jinping: The Governance of China is the key for the international community to learn about contemporary China. Undoubtedly, the launch of the Swahili version of the important book will enable more African people to know more about China’s development philosophy.  So far,…

The mutual friendship between China and Africa is founded on shared history, values and a desire for prosperity for humankind. It is a history of the fight against imperialism, colonialism, hegemony and dispossession. China’s engagement with Africa is one of equals as developing nations with the quest for a shared future characterised by social justice, freedom, equality, peaceful co-existence and shared prosperity.   The recent 15th BRICS Summit, hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as all associated events…

Tanzania is an important Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) hub in Africa. It signed a BRI cooperation memorandum with China in 2018. Bilateral exchanges have been on the rise since then.  On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the launch of the initiative, ChinAfrica sat down with Mbelwa Kairuki, Tanzanian ambassador to China, to hear his insights on the BRI, especially the changes brought by the BRI to the local people’s lives. Edited excerpts of the interview follow:  ChinAfrica: How did…

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt in September 2013 in Kazakhstan, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in the following month in Indonesia, together known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In a decade, the BRI has become a reality, reviving the ancient Silk Roads.   The BRI, based on history and proposed by China, concentrates on the future and benefits the world as a whole. According to Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s…