Editor's Note: The 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6. The theme of this year's summit is "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future." In light of this, the Global Times launches a series of China-Africa stories, including interviews with political leaders, stories of exchanges between young people from China and African countries, and intensive cooperation in various fields. Through these stories, we will see how China and Africa are deepening their ties and building a brighter future together.

In this instalment, Global Times reporter Zhao Yusha talked with Endalkachew Sime, PhD student at Peking University, ex-state minister of planning and development of Ethiopia and ex-secretary general of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations.

The view of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

Endalkachew Sime, once the state minister of Ethiopia, is now a PhD candidate at Peking University in China. 

When discussing China's cooperation with Africa, Sime said it is just like his studies in Beijing.

"My studies here in China are equipping me with the knowledge that I can apply in Africa. This cooperation extends beyond mere financial transactions; it's about long-term development and capacity building," Sime, currently a student from Peking University Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development, told the Global Times. 

With an approximate population of 126.5 million people (2023), Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa after Nigeria, and one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, according to the World Bank. 

Ethiopia stands at the forefront of the China-Africa strategic partnership.

"China has been the largest trading partner to Ethiopia and a top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country, accounting for nearly 50 percent of all FDI inflow into the country," Gebeyehu Ganga, director general of the Middle East, Asia, and Pacific Affairs at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in June this year, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Endalkachew Sime Photo: Courtesy of Sime

For Sime, there's still much potential for cooperation between the two countries. "Ethiopia has significant potential for future cooperation with China, particularly in areas like infrastructure, power, and trade. Specifically, there is potential in value-added manufacturing, where Ethiopia can convert its immense agricultural and natural resources into finished goods for export to the world's fastest-growing domestic market," Sime, who formerly served as the state minister of planning and development of Ethiopia and secretary general of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, told the Global Times. 

Sime recalled that he first came to China in 2004, and has witnessed the development trajectory that China has undergone in the past decades. Such experience sparked a strong interest in him to study academically and professionally in this country. 

"Many people describe China's development as a miracle, but there's no such thing as a miracle. If you explain it well, it's something that can be replicated. If you frame it as a miracle, then it becomes unrepeatable. That's why I came here - to learn and see," he said.

"China has managed to plan and implement its development strategy consistently over a long period. I compared this with my own country, which had a very different economic background three decades ago," said Sime.

He said Ethiopia started to follow a similar model to China, and initially had an encouraging start. However, due to various reasons, the development could not be sustained. 

"So having a solid state formation process and strong leadership are, in my view, critical elements that developing nations can learn from China. There might be other aspects to consider, but these are the two that stand out to me," said Sime.

Ethiopia was among the first batch of African countries to sign the "Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation Documents" to jointly build the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

"What sets the BRI apart when it comes to Africa's engagement with the rest of the world? Let me provide a specific example." Sime said. "Ethiopia, for instance, was seeking financial access for critical projects, and the most flexible and accessible source of finance turned out to be the BRI." 

He praised the BRI's financing as more flexible and it considers the developmental challenges that Africa faces. "However, this does not mean that projects are financed without rigorous screening. There are thorough banking and financial procedures that must be followed. The flexibility is in addressing Africa's needs better than other financing bodies," said Sime. 

Over the last decade, many African projects have benefited from the BRI's flexibility. Compared to other engagements, the BRI gives African countries more freedom to choose projects that align with their national interests and development goals compared to other financing options, according to Sime. 

In recent years, green-eyed about China's cooperation with African countries, some Western politicians and institutions have hyped that through investment, loans, political influence, and migration, China is utilizing an inventive form of "neocolonialism" on African nations. 

In response, Sime said that "no one enters a partnership for a free lunch. Africa, like any other region, has its interests, and so do China and Western countries. The essence of the deal is cooperation based on mutual benefit and nonintervention, which is gaining acceptance among many African nations."

Why do these countries choose such partnerships? It's a decision made through rigorous studies and evidence-based processes. Africa partners with all parts of the world based on its preferences and priorities, Sime noted.