By Li Shouen, CCTV.com Reporter
Over 660 foreign reporters have registered to cover the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which is being held on Sept. 3-4.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address at the opening ceremony, pledging to deepen support and cooperation with African nations. His speech was warmly welcomed by African journalists at the Press Center.
Vilola Santo Xavier is a reporter from Angola. He said, "It is a very friendly, important and encouraging speech. I think the African leaders would be very satisfied and grateful for what President Xi Jinping said. African countries need more investments in their infrastructure and President Xi is doing his part to support for the growth of these countries."
Vilola Santo Xavier in an interview with CCTV.com (Photo/Li Wenliang)
Wakili Bello Ahmed, from Nigeria, thinks Xi’s Speech is distinctive. Ahmed said, "He has done extremely well. According to what he said, he is willing to continue to do more of those China has already done in Africa. And I believe Africa would continue to be cooperative with China in the future."
Wakili Bello Ahmed in a group interview (Photo/Li Wenliang)
Selamawit Kassa Wodajeneh, from Ethiopia, highlighted President Xi’s focus on youth. "In his speech, President Xi said, not only China, but also all the other countries should focus on the youth." She added, “As he expresses it ‘the youths are like the rising sun.’ And when you are waiting for the 'sun' to rise, you need to nurture it, giving it education and everything it needs. When the sun comes out, you will then feel the warmth. So, when you invest in the youth, your country’s future is brightened. Africa has a large population of youth, it’s like an energy for any countries.”
Selamawit Kassa Wodajeneh being interviewed (Photo/Li Wenliang)
African journalists have also been encouraged by President Xi’s promise to provide another 60 billion US dollars support in the following three years. Wodajeneh recalled that China had promised its first 60 billion US dollars to Africa. “President Xi said in his speech China has honored its 2015 promise and the 60 billion U.S. dollars has been either delivered or arranged. This shows China is a trustworthy partner.” She added, "My country is also one of the beneficiaries from that project, we have more roads, railways, and more importantly, we have more employment, especially for our youth."
Wodajeneh also hopes the Belt and Road Initiative would give an added boost the infrastructure in African nations. She believes the Belt & Road Initiative is a very key element to the African countries.
“The African Union has the huge Agenda 2063, which was put forward for the future 50 years, and it also focus on infrastructure integration for many countries, so, the B&R will have a huge impact.” She added, “When I talk about my country, Ethiopia, there has been a railway project, which connects my country to Djibouti. So, you can see how huge the impact would be to the people’s lives where I come from.”
Encouraged by Xi’s speech, African journalists all hold firm beliefs and high expectations on future Sino-African relations. Xavier said: "I think we can expect more positive changes in the following three years after the summit. I believe that would not only mean more investments, but also more people-to-people and cultural exchanges, more Chinese will visit Angola, and more Angolans will come to China."
Ahmed believes “the future is like a light at the end of the tunnel, the relationship is getting stronger and stronger.” He added, “Just as President Xi said, three new members joined in this family. That means even countries who did not benefit from the previous cooperation have joined. Without an increasingly stronger relationship, countries would rather pull out, instead of joining in.”
Wodajeneh expects more technology and knowledge transferring from China to Africa, and hopes there would be more chances for African students to study in China so that they can bring back technology and knowledge to their nations and help their local communities.
Zimbabwean Musarurwa Sylvester Tawanda thanked China for helping African nation to incorporate into the international community through economic development.
Musarurwa Sylvester Tawanda in an interview with CCTV.com (Photo/Li Wenliang)
He believes China-Africa relationship is mutually beneficial and will be moving forward in the future. "It will get stronger and more beneficial to both sides."
(The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )
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