Angola is located in the southwest of the African continent and borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is known as the "Land of Spring".
Cityscape of Luanda, the capital of Angola.
Driving 18 kilometers south from the center of Luanda, the capital, a large area of well-proportioned high-rise residential buildings comes into view. This is the largest livelihood project undertaken by a Chinese enterprise in the local area - the New City of Kelamba.
In 2010, the then Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping took half a day out of his busy schedule to visit Angola to inspect this project, which greatly inspired the builders of China and Angola.
It was during that visit that China and Angola announced the establishment of a strategic cooperative partnership.
The new city rises out of the desert, witnessing the accelerated upgrading of cooperation between the two countries.
In the spring of the Year of the Dragon, Beijing welcomes African partners again.
On the afternoon of March 15, President Xi Jinping held talks with Angolan President Lourenço, who was in China for a state visit. The two heads of state announced that they would upgrade China-Angolan relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
"It is mutual help between good friends" and "can be called a model of mutually beneficial cooperation" - China-Anti-Anti-Anti-Anti-Chinese relations have truly benefited the people of the two countries and have been highly praised by the two heads of state.
Video: Close Heart丨Enter the "Land of Spring" and feel the acceleration of China-Africa common development.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
“This friendship is engraved in Angola’s history”
In 2012, more than 700 buildings and 20,000 houses in Kelamba New City were successfully delivered, and 120,000 residents settled here.
Many locals prefer to call it the "Rainbow City".
Aerial photography of Kelamba New Town (video animation)
“Everything seems to be shining.” Gaspar Pedro, a 73-year-old resident, still vividly remembers the joy of moving there. “Thanks to President Xi Jinping, and thanks to the cooperation between Angola and China, we have a modern home.”
Walk through the corridor filled with green plants and walk into Pedro's house.
In the warm orange living room, photos of her daughter's wedding and the birth of her grandchildren are neatly placed on one side of the bookcase. The room is neat and bright.
"My wife and I go downstairs for a walk every day, and the children come to visit us. This life is peaceful and happy. We are very grateful and very satisfied," Pedro said.
Gaspar Pedro shows photos to reporters at his home in Ciudad Calamba, Luanda, the capital of Angola.
Here, schools, water plants, sewage treatment plants, substations and other supporting facilities are complete, and life is in order.
When meeting Chinese people or mentioning topics related to China, local residents always show friendly smiles.
Mario Casinda has been working as a manager at a restaurant in New Town for six years.
In his view, the new city of Kelamba solves more than just the housing problem: "The new city rose up in a desert. Since the construction started, it has created job opportunities and attracted more people to develop here, and we have all benefited from it. .”
Hundreds of high-rise buildings embody the wisdom and sweat of the builders of China and Angola.
Qi Junjun, an engineer involved in the construction of the new city, recalled to reporters that the local soil lacked viscosity and dispersed as soon as rainwater soaked it. The Chinese side studied day and night and finally adopted methods such as layered backfilling to overcome the problem.
“The thought of applying what I have learned to bring about real changes in the local area makes me very motivated,” he said.
Fan Juntao, president of the Angola Chinese Enterprises Chamber of Commerce, clearly remembers that when Xi Jinping inspected this project in 2010, he "first went to the grassroots employee representatives and shook hands with everyone one by one, which was very cordial."
Later, during the discussion, Xi Jinping praised the employees of local Chinese companies for having the courage to fight and win tough battles under difficult conditions.
Fan Juntao said that everyone was encouraged after hearing this, and "a surge of energy surged up in their hearts." "We must take root on the front line, work hard, and achieve results."
Cityscape of Luanda, the capital of Angola.
In 2023, China and Angola celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
At present, China-Angola relations enjoy a good momentum of development, political mutual trust continues to deepen, and practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results that benefit the two peoples.
China has been Angola's largest trading partner, largest export market and important source of investment for many years in a row. Angola is China's second largest trading partner in Africa.
Drummond Mafuta, chairman of Angola's November Media Group, said: "When the civil war in Angola ended and everything was in dire straits, China was the first to extend a helping hand to Angola. This friendship is engraved in the history of Angola .We must continue to move forward together."
"Dream to become an excellent technician"
After the talks on the 15th, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents on the preparation of cooperation plans for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", economy and trade, agriculture, green development and other fields.
Thiago Armando, a scholar at Angola’s Venancio de Moura Diplomatic School, is paying close attention to the news of President Lourenco’s visit to China.
He believed that the outcomes of the talks between the two heads of state "directly responded to Angola's important concerns of promoting economic development, increasing industrial investment, and accelerating agricultural modernization reforms."
He said that President Lourenco will also visit Shandong Province during this trip. "Shandong is a major manufacturing province in China and also has advanced technology and rich experience in the agricultural field. These are opportunities for Angola to continue to deepen cooperation with China."
Shandong Province signed a friendly cooperation agreement with Angola's Bengo Province last year. The two sides will strengthen cooperation in agriculture, economy, trade, vocational education and other aspects.
Aode Industrial Park is located in Dande City, Bengo Province, and is invested by Aode Group headquartered in Shandong.
Since it was put into use in 2019, six industrial projects have been put into operation in the park. Currently, there are about 200 Chinese employees and about 1,700 local employees.
When President Lourenco visited the park in June 2021, he "liked" the park's contribution to promoting local employment and tax revenue, promoting Angola's industrialization process and economic diversification.
João Paulo, senior manager of external relations of the industrial park, has worked here for many years. “The experience of working with colleagues from China and other countries has opened my horizons and made me understand that only by strengthening foreign exchanges and cooperation can our country’s development be achieved.” More hopeful”.
In the capital Luanda, about 60 kilometers away from Dande City, in the workshop of Qingdao Youxing Group Fatima Furniture Factory, the bilingual slogan "Safe Production" in Chinese and Portuguese is particularly eye-catching.
Amidst the roar of machines, some people were concentrating on cutting boards, and some were carrying materials, busy and orderly.
A local worker works in the workshop of the Fatima furniture factory.
"Here, everyone dreams of becoming an excellent technician and earning a decent living with their own hands." Wilson Manuel, a 30-year-old furniture factory personnel manager, told reporters, "The high quality and design of the products make many Consumers who originally loved buying imported goods were so impressed that they became our customers."
Today, Fatima Furniture Factory’s cabinets, wardrobes and other products account for 40% of Angola’s domestic market, and sofa brands account for a quarter.
General Manager Zhu Bingfeng said that the accelerated localization of the furniture industry not only improves the cost performance of products and allows more people to afford better products, but also drives the growth of local suppliers and processing companies.
Angolan Minister of Industry and Trade Rui Migens said in an exclusive interview with reporters that China's industrial development has benefited people's livelihood and improved people's living standards.
Angola hopes to learn from China’s industrialization experience and looks forward to more Chinese companies investing in Angola and continuing to expand the space for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
"Reserve more youth vitality for the future of Africa and China"
Angolan young man Luis Erivaldo had a strong interest in communications technology when he was in school. An opportunity to receive training at Huawei allowed him to lock in his career development goals.
After 4 rounds of interviews, he got his wish and got a job at Huawei Angola. In the past 6 years, he has grown from a newcomer to the technical director.
In 2022, the Angolan government and Huawei signed a memorandum of understanding on a "digital talent" training project, planning to train more than 10,000 Angolan youths in the next five years.
Luis Elivaldo (right) talks with colleagues at the Huawei Angola Technology Park in Luanda, the capital of Angola.
Africa is in urgent need of talents for development, and there is broad space for cooperation in vocational education.
In August 2023, in Johannesburg, South Africa, President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa co-hosted the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue and proposed three measures to strengthen China-Africa practical cooperation and promote Africa’s integration and modernization in the next stage. “China "Non-Talent Development Cooperation Plan" is one of them.
On January 12, 2024, the opening ceremony of the Angola Vocational Skills Training Center aided by China was held in Huambo City, Huambo Province, central Angola.
The center covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters and has 30 laboratories and 6 workshops in robotics, machining, computers, measurement and auto repair. In the first phase, it plans to train 2,400 people per year.
On the same day, President Lourenco personally cut the ribbon for the training center.
During the visit, he carefully inquired about project construction and teaching planning.
After the visit, the motorcade was about to leave. President Lourenco got out of the car again and shook hands with the Chinese personnel to express his thanks.
"This is a modern and well-equipped training center, and the teachers have all been trained in China. We are very grateful to China for its help and look forward to continuing to cooperate with China in the future." said Geraldo Pambasanjo, the principal of the training center.
In Luanda, the capital of Angola, teachers from the Confucius Institute at the University of Neto are teaching Chinese to students.
Pedro Felipe, Angola’s State Secretary for Employment and Social Security, said that in recent years, vocational training and talent cultivation have become one of the focuses of cooperation between Angola and China. “The cooperation between the two parties has been fruitful, which will reserve more young people for our future development. vitality".
The cooperation between China and Angola has a good foundation, large scale and strong complementarity. Mutually beneficial cooperation has huge potential and bright prospects.
As bilateral relations reach a new level, the two countries will work together to write more new chapters of friendship, common development, and common revitalization.
Chief planner: Lu Yansong
Planning: Ni Siyi, Ban Weiyingqiang
Producer: Feng Junyang Han Mo
Coordinator: Yan Junyan, Sun Hao, Liu Wanli, Yuan Junbao
Text: Lu Chengcheng, Yan Ran, Chen Shancong Jiaxin
Video: Daiga
Photography: Li Yahui
Editing: indifferent
Editor: Zhao Yan, Han Liang, Xu Chao, Wang Shen
Produced by Xinhua News Agency International Department