China invests $1 billion in African railway

On September 4, China, Tanzania and Zambia signed a preliminary agreement to revitalize the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, which aims to improve rail-sea transport in East Africa, Reuters reports.

In February, China proposed spending $1 billion to upgrade the decades-old, 1,156-mile railway line under a public-private partnership model, according to a news outlet. Construction Instruction.

President Xi Jinping spoke about improving China-Africa relations and cooperation for modernization at the China-Africa Summit in Beijing on September 5.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema attended the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, the Chinese government-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

The single-track railway, originally built between 1970 and 1975 by Chinese and African workers, was financed by an interest-free loan from China and now transports cargo from copper and cobalt mines in Zambia to the Tanzanian coast, according to Construction Instruction.

Regarding the construction project, the agency reported that, according to state media, the Chinese president said: “China is willing to use this summit as an opportunity to make new progress in revitalizing the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, work together to improve the rail-sea intermodal transportation network in East Africa, and turn Tanzania into a demonstration zone for deepening high-quality China-Africa Belt and Road cooperation.”

Newsweek contacted the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United Kingdom, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Zambia in London and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania via email for comment.

During the opening ceremony of the China-Africa Summit in Beijing, Xi delivered a keynote speech on improving China-Africa relations in the new era and mutual support for regions in pursuing “fair and responsible” modernization, according to a press release from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China.

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was first established in 2000, according to a press release from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China.

According to the statement, President Xi said China is “ready to actively cooperate with Africa in areas such as talent training, poverty alleviation and employment” to pursue the modernization of both countries.

In addition to working to create a platform for exchanging experiences and improving trade, President Xi also spoke about implementing 30 infrastructure connectivity projects in Africa aimed at promoting the construction of the Belt and Road, a global infrastructure initiative adopted by China in 2013, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Have a story we should cover? Questions about this article? Contact [email protected].