Experts laud Beijing's vision of development

Experts from Kenya have hailed the Global Development Initiative, proposed four years ago, for having played an instrumental role in promoting equitable and inclusive growth and fostering South-South cooperation.

James Shikwati, director of the Inter Region Economic Network, an independent think tank in Nairobi, said that the GDI raises important questions about how development is defined. The initiative advocates for balanced development, rather than favoring one part of the world while leaving others behind, he said.

"A voice from the South saying, 'Look, we'd like to have something that's balanced. So it's not developing at the expense of others'," he said at a seminar on the GDI held in Nairobi on Thursday.

He added that the GDI is helping fill global financing gaps caused by economic slowdowns in the United States and Europe, and it can help international organizations promote the development of the Global South.

The GDI, put forward in 2021 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizes key areas for cooperation, including poverty reduction, food security and green development.

Stephen Jackson, UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, said that the GDI aligns with the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

He also noted that one of the reasons that South-South cooperation is such a clear strength of the GDI is that China is drawing directly on its own historic development.

"China is now helping countries like Kenya move further and further along the path of green transition. It is because China itself has walked that journey," he said.

According to him, the Group of Friends of the GDI, a platform for cooperation to support the initiative launched by the UN in 2022, now includes more than 100 countries. China has supported the GDI projects of agricultural cooperation programs in Africa that have benefited hundreds of thousands of small-holder farmers, solar energy systems powering remote communities in Asia, and public health projects strengthening resilience.

"China has always been a country that's able to offer solutions," said Dennis Munene Mwaniki, executive director of the China-Africa Center of Africa Policy Institute, based in Nairobi.

He mentioned that China introduced the GDI during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Africa's public health systems were severely affected. The initiative not only protected and supported lives by supplying vaccines, but also helped countries advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Guo Haiyan, the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, said that amid rising turbulence and uncertainties globally, consensus and cooperation are needed more than ever to promote fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable global development.

China is willing to work with all countries to implement the Global Development Initiative and other major initiatives, aiming to accelerate the achievement of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, she said.

Liu Haowen contributed to this story.

sharon@chinadailyafrica.com