Africa-Press – Angola. The Chinese generalist daily CGTN, belonging to the China Media Group, published yesterday, in its digital version, an article referring to Angola as a regional player seen by the People’s Republic of China as essential in Southern Africa.
In the article in question, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the concept advocated by President Xi Jinping, called “Community with a future shared by humanity”, to be marked on the 23rd of the current month, the author argues that the deepening of relations between China and Angola have, in recent years, produced practical benefits for both countries.
He refers that the end of the Angolan civil war, in 2002, allowed the country’s access to the world financial market, albeit with some restrictions. At that time, the columnist also describes, the partnership between Beijing and Luanda became fundamental for the process of rebuilding the infrastructures destroyed by the armed conflict.
He adds, on the other hand, that Sino-Angolan cooperation allowed the allocation of funds to renovate roads, hospitals, schools, transport and public facilities.
“The construction of the Kilamba Centrality, Kuito Airport, Luanda General Hospital, as well as a deep water port and the project to supply water to the province of Cabinda, demonstrated the positive impacts produced by Chinese companies on the quality of life of Angolans ”, reads in the article.
Diplomatically, the newspaper also notes, relations between the countries are embodied in “permanent bilateral dialogues and a dense structure of multilateral institutions”, citing as examples the holding of China-Africa cooperation forums and for economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
The Sino-Angolan bilateral relationship, according to the publication edited in Beijing, gained new impetus with the recent meeting between the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, and the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, held on the 14th of Janeiro, in Luanda.
On the occasion, the newspaper maintains, “while the Angolan leader expressed the country’s commitment to the single principle of China”, the Chinese diplomat reiterated Beijing’s recognition of “Angola’s role as a mediator” of political tensions between the DRC and the Rwanda.
“China sees Angola as an essential regional actor in Southern Africa and one that deserves a stronger voice in the world order”, describes the Chinese daily.
The Chinese generalist daily, which belongs to the largest journalistic production group in China, maintains that Sino-Angolan economic relations have evolved beyond the oil and infrastructure sectors, reaching cooperation in digital technologies, human capital, finance, real estate, agriculture and industry.
According to the article in the newspaper, China and Angola share a “very strong” bilateral relationship, confirmed with the inauguration, last year, in Luanda, of the Chinese company Huawei, a technology park covering 32,000 square meters. Angolan Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication and the representative of Huawei signed a memorandum for training more than 1,500 young Angolans in information and communication technology”, recalls the publication in the article we have been quoting.
four decades
of cooperation
The strategic partnership between China and Angola, according to the Chinese daily CGTN, also gained momentum on 12 January, at the time of the celebration of 40 years of political and diplomatic relations between both countries.
The festivities of the event, in Luanda, with a commemorative act organized by the Chinese Embassy in Angola, in which around 600 people participated, including political officials, military personnel, businessmen and members of the Angolan civil society, from the point of view of the publication, is proof evident from the excellent relations between the countries.
A day earlier, the newspaper describes, the Angolan Minister of Finance, Vera Daves de Souza, and the Chinese ambassador, Gong Tao, signed an agreement worth US$249 million for the execution of a 2,000-kilometer fiber optic cable network. and installation of a submarine connection with the province of Cabinda.
“In 2022, only 36 percent of Angolans used the internet, a much smaller percentage than that of other African countries, such as Namibia, Botswana and South Africa”, notes the newspaper, assuring that the agreement represents a “great advance” in Angola’s objectives to enter the digital economy.
“The Chinese community in Angola supports the economic and social development of Angolans”, the article also reads.
The newspaper also refers to Cidade da China, located on the expressway, in Luanda, as a “vital business center and a strong tourist attraction”.
The Chinese daily reveals that, in 2022, almost 20,000 Chinese will reside in Angola, adding that there is still “enormous potential to be explored” in Chinese-Angolan cooperation relations.
Successful policies for rural revitalization and poverty reduction based on digital technologies, according to the Asian publication, can provide “signs” on the formulation of public policies for Angola in these areas.
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