China's 13th Five-Year Plan offers opportunities to African development

China's 13th Five-Year Plan creates opportunities for China-Africa cooperation, said officials attending a forum.

China's 13th Five-Year Plan with the development concept of "innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared by all" offers opportunities to China-Africa win-win cooperation, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi told the opening ceremony of the Second Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation held in Beijing on Tuesday.

Africa has set accelerated industrialization and sustainable development as primary goals in its first-decade plan, which also means a bright future for its partnership with China, said Yang. Saviour Kasukuwere, minister of local government, rural and urban development of Zimbabwe, said in a speech on behalf of African delegates that the African economy has developed quickly with China's investment in infrastructure construction, preferential loans and technical training.

He told the opening ceremony that in the future, Africa would learn from the Chinese development model, introduce advanced technology and innovative experience. Three sub-forums were held, focusing on "energy resources development and industrial cooperation," "infrastructure and local capacity building," and "agricultural and marine economy and local cooperation."

"The five-year plan helps where African countries need from the Chinese government in areas of financing and also partnership," Michael Munyao, chairman of the Kenya-China Friendship Association, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

"We need partnership between the Chinese people and the African people for technological transfer. For example, the technology to build hospitals and the equipment to maintain railway lines in Africa," Munyao said, adding that educational partnership and more scholarships for African students are also in great need.

"The five-year plan would bring a lot of opportunities to Africa's infrastructure building. I think it's a very good direction the Chinese government is taking," he said. Over 400 government officials, entrepreneurs and scholars from China and 26 African countries attended the two-day forum which ends on Wednesday.