Xi Proposes Four Initiatives to Advance China-Africa Mining Cooperation

On the afternoon of October 13, President Xi Jinping met with Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during his state visit. During the meeting, he put forward four proposals to advance China-Africa mining cooperation: First, adhere to the premise that African resources belong to Africa. Locked at the bottom end of the industrial and value chains by unreasonable international division of labor, this historical injustice needs urgent correction. China empathizes with Africa's reasonable demands and is willing to share its own experience to help African countries formulate mining development plans suited to their national conditions. Second, adhere to the concept of cooperation that combines righteousness and benefit for mutual gain. Both sides must uphold a correct view on righteousness and benefit in mining cooperation. China will continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to enhance operational capabilities, transfer green technologies suitable for Africa's reality, strengthen public welfare assistance, drive local employment and talent development, and promote South-South cooperation in the mining sector. Third, adhere to the direction of high-quality development. China has always been a 'pragmatist' supporting African development and will continue to push China-Africa mining cooperation toward industrial value-added transformation, explore affordable and sustainable innovative financing models, and advance the construction of supporting logistics corridors and development along the routes based on pragmatism and within means, using high-level cooperation to assist Africa's modernization process. Fourth, adhere to a fair and open cooperative environment. African resources should not become tools for geopolitical struggles. China welcomes all parties to sincerely assist Africa's development and is willing to work with African counterparts to maintain a stable and predictable mining cooperation market environment, creating more favorable conditions for enterprise investment and operations.