NAIROBI — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was on a visit to Africa from Jan 5 to 11, marking the 35th consecutive year that China's foreign minister has chosen Africa as the destination for the first overseas trip of the year.

Wang has hailed it as a longstanding tradition and a distinctive hallmark of China's diplomacy that stems from the deep and enduring friendship between China and Africa.

Over the years, China-Africa cooperation has been forging ahead toward all-round, multi-level and high-quality development, delivering results across multiple fields, notably in areas of trade, industrialization, agricultural modernization and capacity building, benefiting billions of people in both China and Africa.

As the world's largest developing country and the continent with the highest number of developing countries, China and Africa are charting the course for shared progress and revitalization, facilitating the modernization of the Global South and injecting "Southern" power into global prosperity and development.

Herman Uwizeyimana, general manager of Fisher Global, a Rwandan agriculture company specializing in chili cultivation and export, made a field trip to examine the vibrant red chili crops near Mulindi Market in Kigali, the country's capital.

In 2021, Rwanda began to export dried chilis to China, making chili cultivation a key export industry. "When people talk about chilis, they often think of China. Everyone knows that our main market is China, and we have many farmers involved," he said.

Over the past three years, Fisher Global has exported 200-300 metric tons of dried chilis to China annually. Bolstered by China's recent zero-tariff policy, Uwizeyimana's goal is to expand exports to 1,500 tons per year.

Since Dec 1, China has granted all least developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations, including 33 African countries, zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of their product categories, becoming the first major developing country and leading economy to adopt such a policy.

On top of the zero-tariff policy, China has introduced measures to turn its vast consumption market into a key opportunity for Africa, not least by expanding green channels for African agricultural products. It has also facilitated Africa's participation in major exhibitions like the China International Import Expo, helped connect African products to global markets and signed economic partnership agreements for long-term, stable institutional support.

Driven by these measures, Rwandan dried chilis and coffee, Kenyan avocados, Beninese pineapples, Malagasy mutton, Malawian peanuts and Mozambican macadamia nuts and cashews are now gracing Chinese dining tables.

According to the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, in the first eight months of 2024, China imported African agricultural products worth 28.47 billion yuan ($3.88 billion), up by 4.8 percent from a year earlier.

With two-way trade booming, China's vast market has also strengthened Africa's industrial chains and added value to its products. Michel Anondraka, director-general of agriculture and livestock at Madagascar's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, said Madagascar exported frozen mutton products to China for the first time in 2024 and the transition to exporting meat instead of live animals will retain more added value in the country.

"Thanks to this export, (Madagascar's) livestock farmers will have a secure market, which will boost their production, increase their income and earn more foreign currency," he said, adding that China's growing demand for Madagascar mutton and goat meat will boost production for local livestock farmers and speed up the African country's agricultural modernization.

In November 2024, a group of 20 Africans from the agricultural sector visited a village in Southwest China's Yunnan province to dig into the country's achievements in rural vitalization.

During their stay, they saw how structures like disused water towers had been transformed into cafes and traditional homes converted into modern guesthouses. Participants also engaged in cultural activities such as traditional pottery-making and local martial arts.

"Africa and China are giants who stand on the shoulders of each other. Let us work together for a better life. This life leaves no one behind," said Omar Mjenga, president and CEO of the Center for International Policy-Africa.

Xinhua