The Belt and Road Initiative aims for mutual support and win-win cooperation – AU Representative to China
“The Belt and Road Initiative aims to bring together the people of the world to fight against the divisions in the global economy. So it is very important that we have such a forum,” said African Union Representative to China Rahamtalla M. Osman when talking about the Belt and Road Initiative.
African countries are actively participating in the Belt and Road Initiative as important partners. Of the 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, 52 have signed agreements on the Belt and Road Initiative.
According to Osman, the most important thing about the Belt and Road Initiative is that it brings countries together to help each other. This help is not a kind of charity, but a win-win cooperation between China and the members of the African Union, and even all those who have joined the initiative. He said that in dialogues with China, Africa can talk about its own needs and achieve a win-win situation with China.
Speaking about China-Africa trade, he said that Africa will continue to discuss with China how China can help it, through the Belt and Road Initiative or other mechanisms, to increase the value of its products and eliminate its dependence on the export of raw materials. He believed that efforts to improve the quality of exported products from Africa and allow them to be accepted in the Chinese market and benefit from the zero tariffs that China has released will help African economies move forward.
Osman is very confident in the future development of the Belt and Road Initiative. Currently, the coordination and docking system between the Belt and Road Initiative and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 has been fully developed. He felt that this would effectively help African countries solve the problems and difficulties they face.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, the Initiative has become a popular global public good and a platform for international cooperation. The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing in October this year.
