Chinese green products bring tangible dividends to continent
Chinese carmakers such as JAC, Chery and Geely are going through the investment procedures to introduce advanced technology and carry out localized production in Algeria. The vehicles will be sold within Algeria and exported to third countries, Chinese Ambassador to Algeria Li Jian told local media outlet El Khabar, according to the website of the Chinese Embassy in Algeria on Monday.
The latest stage of cooperation between China and Algeria mirrors the enhanced economic and trade ties — especially in new-energy vehicles (NEVs) — between the world’s second-largest economy and African countries.
As the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) approaches, officials from the continent hailed NEV collaboration with China, expressing hopes for more Chinese green products and investment to promote sustainable development.
“Chinese NEV giants including BYD have set foot in Zimbabwe. We are more than willing to cooperate with China in the NEV sector. Africa is a very large producer of lithium, a raw material for batteries for electric vehicles. So we are looking at partnerships with Chinese companies in the processing of lithium and establishing a company for manufacturing,” G. Nyaguse, minister plenipotentiary of the Embassy of Zimbabwe, told the Global Times on Monday.
“We are thinking about something that will be very environmentally friendly, and we have bought China-made cars and other green products,” said Gana Oyinkro Tuayeringha, director-general of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, noting that Nigeria has prepared for the FOCAC summit, and its participants will definitely bring back results.
Mwangi Wachira, advisor to the government of Kenya and former economist at the World Bank, said that in terms of attracting foreign direct investment, the new-energy sector is among the fastest-growing ones on the continent, and it’s led by Chinese companies.
“We are happy that happened. We are hoping that from assembling things in Africa, you will eventually produce them on the continent,” he told the Global Times.
In recent years, African countries have witnessed accelerated urbanization and rapid economic development, which has boosted the demand for automobiles. China’s NEV exports to the continent surged 291 percent year-on-year in 2023, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
“High-tech, cost-effective NEVs from China have brought tangible dividends to African consumers. At the same time, Chinese automakers have invested and established production facilities on the continent, promoting the development of the local industry and creating employment opportunities,” Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday.
China-Africa cooperation in NEVs is also an important driving force for the alignment of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which is conducive to helping the continent further explore green investment and green industrial technology development, Song noted.
The eye-catching FOCAC summit will further enhance China-Africa economic and trade relations, more precisely matching African countries’ development strategies, and bringing more cooperation opportunities in the green field, Song added.
The 2024 FOCAC will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6.
GT
