Rwanda Ambassador to China: The "the Belt and Road" initiative "unlocks" new opportunities for China Rwanda and China Africa cooperation Rwanda | economy | initiative
Introduction
Since China put forward the "the Belt and Road" initiative 10 years ago, it has provided Rwanda with important development opportunities. The in-depth cooperation between the two sides has promoted the connectivity of Rwanda's infrastructure, and promoted the sustainable economic development of Rwanda and even Africa as a whole. As one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, Rwanda is ready to take advantage of the new opportunities brought by the "the Belt and Road" initiative. In the future, China and Africa will continue to adhere to the principle of mutual consultation, joint construction and sharing, enhance the well-being of the people of both sides, and promote the high standard, sustainable and people friendly "the Belt and Road" cooperation.
Author: James Kimonio, Ambassador of Rwanda to China
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This year marks the 10th anniversary of the the Belt and Road Initiative. China's flagship initiative was proposed in 2013 with the aim of improving connectivity and promoting cross continental cooperation. In the era of economic globalization, the "the Belt and Road" initiative embodies the spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, mutual benefit and win-win results, promotes economic integration, releases development potential, makes contributions to global cooperation, creates new platforms and opportunities, and shapes new prospects for future development.
Rwanda's goal is to become a middle-income country by 2035 and a high-income country by 2050. In this context, China has become an important and reliable investment and trade partner for Rwanda. Chinese companies will continue to invest in Rwanda, while high-quality specialty agricultural products such as chili peppers, tea, and coffee from Rwanda are also seeking valuable market opportunities in China.
However, to achieve these goals, infrastructure connectivity is required, which is the key goal of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, and also the fundamental factor determining the depth and breadth of cooperation between China and Rwanda, as well as with Africa as a whole.
![Rwanda Ambassador to China: The "the Belt and Road" initiative "unlocks" new opportunities for China Rwanda and China Africa cooperation Rwanda | economy | initiative](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/9da189c20ce79a454e9097d0497c415f.jpg)
Picture The the Belt and Road Initiative aims at mutual benefit and win-win results, pursuing common development and delivering hope. Since its inception, this initiative has gained active support and participation from African countries. At present, a large number of cooperation projects between China and Africa are underway, and there are also some projects that are expected to achieve tangible results in the future.
Rwanda joined the "the Belt and Road" initiative in 2018, which is a valuable opportunity to bridge the infrastructure gap in Rwanda and connect it with Africa and other regions of the world. Backward infrastructure has been identified as one of the bottlenecks hindering sustainable economic transformation in Africa, and Rwanda and the whole of Africa are grateful for China's contributions in the field of infrastructure.
Countries around the world have carried out multilateral cooperation in combating the COVID-19 epidemic and are expected to completely end the epidemic. The epidemic has had a significant impact on the global economy. Currently, the world economy is slowly recovering, and the international trade and investment landscape is undergoing significant adjustments.
![Rwanda Ambassador to China: The "the Belt and Road" initiative "unlocks" new opportunities for China Rwanda and China Africa cooperation Rwanda | economy | initiative](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/f850feadad5d6fd5b5adefc44ae396a5.jpg)
The picture shows that under the impact of multiple crises such as the COVID-19, the climate problem, and the increasing inflationary pressure caused by the Ukrainian crisis, Rwanda's economy remains resilient and continues to achieve rapid growth. In 2022, Rwanda's GDP grew by 8.2%, and its stable economic development has made it one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.
Through the framework of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation and bilateral direct cooperation, China has provided support for Rwanda to carry out project construction in social and economic fields such as infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, trade, and investment. China is one of Rwanda's largest trading partners, and Chinese capital accounts for a high proportion of foreign direct investment received by Rwanda. Since 2000, China has been involved in infrastructure projects in Rwanda, especially road construction projects. In recent years, Rwanda has vigorously carried out road construction in urban and rural areas to promote exports, create employment, and improve people's well-being.
Adhering to the Silk Road spirit of "peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit", the "the Belt and Road" initiative has made great progress in infrastructure construction, employment and trade in Rwanda and even in Africa, and bilateral relations between Rwanda and China have also been upgraded to a strategic partnership of win-win cooperation and common development.
![Rwanda Ambassador to China: The "the Belt and Road" initiative "unlocks" new opportunities for China Rwanda and China Africa cooperation Rwanda | economy | initiative](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/73e0dc39e25ebf64bc12806ec6f049c8.jpg)
Rwanda is ready to meet the new opportunities brought by the "the Belt and Road" initiative, and has begun to take practical actions to this end. For example, since 2019, Rwanda has continuously dispatched entrepreneurs and students to China to participate in various e-commerce and trade training. The project has produced some positive results, such as international students planning to launch an e-commerce project to help Rwandan farmers sell agricultural products online.
China and Africa will continue to adhere to the principle of mutual consultation, joint construction and sharing, enhance the well-being of the people of both sides, and promote the high standard, sustainable and people friendly "the Belt and Road" cooperation. As active participants and main beneficiaries of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, AU member states have reason to believe that the "the Belt and Road" project will further extend the long history of China Africa cooperation.
Like the Forum on China Africa Cooperation Dakar Action Plan, the "the Belt and Road" initiative is highly consistent with the African Union's 2063 Agenda and its first 10-year implementation plan, the United Nations sustainable development goals, and the East African Community's 2050 Vision aimed at expanding employment. Therefore, for Africa, the arrival of the major opportunity of the "the Belt and Road" initiative is just in time.
![Rwanda Ambassador to China: The "the Belt and Road" initiative "unlocks" new opportunities for China Rwanda and China Africa cooperation Rwanda | economy | initiative](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/5f8605018b26b2340b84b61331852059.jpg)