There is a famous saying about development in China: “To get rich, build roads first.” This indicates the vital role of infrastructure construction in economic development.

China’s infrastructure was still weak 30 years ago. When I was young, traveling from Beijing to my hometown Nanjing, a distance of around 1,000 kilometers, took a whole day by train. But nowadays, with the development of China’s high-speed rail technology, the fastest train journey takes just three and a half hours.

China’s economy has also leaped forward alongside the progress in transportation technology. In the past, mountain residents in China seeking medical care had to trek through hills to reach towns. Today, the “Village Connectivity” project has built roads to village doorsteps, while the low-altitude economy’s “rural outreach” strategy enables drone delivery of medicines. Chinese people rarely use cash in daily life, and don’t even need to carry their wallets or bank cards. They just need to take their cell phones when getting out of home.

With “palmprint recognition” and “facial recognition”, contactless payments becoming widespread, greatly facilitating daily life in clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

African countries have huge potential for development in terms of infrastructure construction. When I worked in South Africa as a diplomat, traveling to another African country required transit even through Europe. I came to Ghana last August, and I found that the 150-kilometer drive from Accra to Cape Coast in Ghana often takes three hours due to poor road conditions. Although East and West Africa are on the same continent, many goods for trade has to rely on maritime or air transport due to the lack of road connections, significantly increasing transportation costs and slowing down both cargo trade and human exchanges.

Leapfrog infrastructure development will significantly enhance people’s livelihoods and serve as the cornerstone for economic and trade connectivity.

In recent years, African countries have broken geographical barriers through China-Africa infrastructure projects. The Tamale Interchange constructed by Chinese enterprises has alleviated urban congestion, while the Ofankor-Nsawam Road has improved mobility for local communities. By 2024, China has built or upgraded over 10,000 km of railways, nearly 100,000 km of highways, about 100 ports, 66,000 km of power transmission or distribution lines, and 150,000 km of communication networks in Africa. Landmark projects like the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and Lekki Port exemplify Belt and Road cooperation, demonstrating how technology and partnership promote development and create win-win outcomes.

China strives to help African countries to solve insufficient funding problems, improve financing channels and address financial shortcomings. In March this year, the African Export-Import Bank successfully issued 2.2 billion yuan in Panda Bonds in China to support African trade and China-Africa economic cooperation, serving high-quality Belt and Road Cooperation. China sincerely assists Africa in resolving debt issues, has fully implemented the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative and is the largest contributor among G20 members in terms of debt suspension amounts. As co-chair of Ghana’s Official Creditor Committee, China promoted proper resolution of Ghana’s debt issues with a constructive approach.

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan states that over the next three years, the Chinese government will provide 360 billion yuan (approximate 50 billion USD) in financial support, including 210 billion yuan (approximate 30 billion USD) in credit facilities, 80 billion yuan (approximate 11 billion USD) in various assistance, and promoting Chinese enterprise investment in Africa of no less than 70 billion yuan (approximate 9 billion USD), offering strong support for practical cooperation across all sectors.

In June this year, Changsha, China will host the Ministerial Meeting of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum Follow-up Committee and the 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, aiming to achieve more “early harvest” outcomes in implementing summit deliverables, translate cooperative consensus into tangible benefits that sustain friendship and establish a broad platform for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. China-Africa infrastructure cooperation, rooted in profound historical foundations, embraces even broader prospects. The technological advancements of the new era will undoubtedly serve inclusive and equitable economic globalization, contribute to the development of this vast and resource-rich continent, and better benefit African countries and peoples.