China helps Africa realize its potential

With bountiful natural resources to world-renowned tourist attractions, Africa has the potential of transforming from the poorest region in the world into a major economic powerhouse. However, potential alone is not enough to propel the continent's transformation. What would it take for Africa to transition from potential to prosperity?

Over the past two decades, the China-Africa partnership has made remarkable achievements on the road to sustainable development and improved the living conditions of the people in Africa. In many areas, including in economic and political cooperation, this partnership has delivered concrete results beneficial to both Africa and China. As a development partner, no other country has such an extensive commitment to Africa, for China has funded and developed (and is operating) more than two dozen big African ports and thousands of miles of roads and railways.

According to China's State Council Information Office, by 2010, more than four decades after the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia railway, China had assisted in the construction of over 500 infrastructure projects in Africa. Over the past two decades, Chinese enterprises have invested huge amounts to build and upgrade more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, almost 100,000 km of roads, nearly 1,000 bridges and about 100 ports, and 66,000 km of power transmission and distribution networks.