Beijing joins hands with Africa on infrastructure and economy

Media representatives tour Chinese capital's top achievements, Liang Kaiyan reports.

Beijing's achievements in the fields of advanced technology, engineering and traditional Chinese medicine were put on show for media representatives from Africa during a recent tour of China's capital ahead of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

The tour was organized by the news center of the summit and Beijing government's information office, and attracted about 1,000 journalists from 60 media outlets from over 40 countries and regions to take part. Each activity is attended by some 50-60 journalists.

Jarju Sally, from Gambia State TV, said she saw a lot of technological innovations when she visited electronics company Xiaomi's offices in Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park.

As a national innovation demonstration zone for science and technology, Zhongguancun Science Park is home to some 20,000 high-tech enterprises including Xiaomi and Sogou.

Sally said new products developed by Xiaomi, including smart household electrical appliances, could make daily life much easier.

The medical robots designed to assist with surgical procedures also impressed the tour group.

Some of those machines are really helpful in improving health conditions, Sally said, adding, "China is moving forward."

In addition to technology, the capital's major infrastructure projects, such as the Beijing new airport, were also showcased for the media representatives.

"This airport is a very big project that has progressed so fast and I'm very impressed," said Tigist Teshome, a journalist from the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.

Teshome said that Ethiopia has maintained a good relationship with China and the two countries have worked together on many infrastructure projects.

"People in our country get work through these projects and it has improved their lives," she said.

Beijing Urban Construction Group Co started construction on the new airport in 2014 and it will be completed in June 2019.

The airport is located on the central axis of the city Beijing next to the historic Yongding River, and will become an engine for integrated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, according to Li Jianhua, deputy director of the project.

At present, construction on the terminal and the airfield are proceeding smoothly, and progress on air-traffic control, oil supplies, airline bases and other projects are intensifying, Li said.

When completed, Beijing's new airport will be the largest integrated comprehensive transportation hub in China. The project, which covers an area of 45 square kilometers, will have six runways and the capacity to handle 100 million passengers per year.

Beijing Urban Construction Group has also expanded its business in Africa.

Li Daosong, manager of the company's international markets department, said that its business in Africa accounts for about 20 to 30 percent of its total international business, and that its cooperation projects mainly involve engineering, hospitality investment and civil infrastructure.

Africa is currently in a strong development phase and possesses potential business for enterprises in fields such as logistics and storage, Li said.

"We entered the African market with our development experience and technology to promote local development through cooperative projects," he said, adding that China and Africa have complementary advantages.

Further cooperation has also been demonstrated in the field of TCM.

Tongrentang, a Beijing-based TCM brand, has been marching into the markets of Africa. In 2016, Tongrentang established operations in South Africa and opened five stores in the cities of Pretoria, Durban and Johannesburg.

The stores in South Africa have sold treatments such as acupuncture and cupping for a range of ailments.

TCM has close roots to nature and is line with the Chinese concept of people and heaven being as one, said Zhong Peng, general manager of Tongrentang's branch in Africa.

"African people agree with the concept of nature and are open to new things," he said.

Tongrentang's African operations currently employ 28 people, 80 percent of whom are local.

In South Africa, people can also study TCM and receive qualifications after a series of examinations. "This also benefits TCM's local development," Zhong said.

The company has signed an agreement with the department of alternative medicine at the University of Johannesburg to cultivate local talents for Tongrentang through clinical acupuncture courses, according to Zhong.

He said Tongrentang will continue to explore more African markets in the future.

During the tour, Oswero Majaliwa Christopher, a journalist at Tanzania Daily News, was impressed by Tongrentang's branch in Beijing.

"I have heard of Tongrentang's branch in South Africa and we hope it can set up branches in more countries in Africa," Christopher said.

Contact the writer at liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.com

(China Daily 09/03/2018 page24)