The Chinese government has vowed to
crack down on exporters of sub-standard products to Africa's local retail
market.
The authorities confirmed that a
special action task-force with a mandate to crack down on counterfeit and
sub-standard products exported to African markets has been established, and
that both producers and exporters caught perpetrating such acts will receive
severe punishment as proscribed by government.
Zhong Manying -- Director General at
China's Ministry of Commerce, Department of West Asia & African Affairs --
interacting with 13 senior journalists from Ghana and Nigeria in a two-week
visit to China explained that the Chinese government attaches great importance
to the quality of products that go to Africa from China.
She said the Chinese Products
Inspection Bureau at the Ministry of Commerce and other national inspection
agencies, like the Customs Inspection at various local government levels, have
been asked to control the quality of products that go to Africa.
Manying explained that China is
collaborating with Customs officials from other African countries, and this is
targetted at upgrading the Customs facilities at the products inspection to
ensure standardisation and conformity of product certification.
"We have also signed a
bilateral agreement of quality inspection and control agreements with different
African countries. As far as I know, the treaty between China and Nigeria is
about to be signed and we will be looking forward to cooperate with African
countries," she stated.
Manying indicated that China is
looking forward to strengthening its cooperation with African countries as
volume of trade has surged rapidly to more than US$100billion between 2014 and
2015 -- with South Africa, Angola and Nigeria being the leading trading
partners.
Volume of trade is expected to hit
beyond US$200billion by close of 2015. Last year China exported over 49 percent
of its machinery products into Africa.
She stressed that the current trade
ties between China and Africa have changed, and that both parties are excited
about the new partnership and cooperation.
This is a clear indication that
China is now a strategic partner to the African continent in terms of trade,
and she expressed confidence in the relationship that exists between the two
partners.
She observed that the trade
imbalance between Africa and China can be solved when the two integrate trade
and industrialisation.
"We should combine trade
with investment and better integrate China's manufacturing models with Africa;
this will speedily improve Africa's development,” she said, proposing that
manufacturing and industrialisation could be the best option that positions
Africa for its developmental growth.
"Africa can cooperate with
China on industrialisation, and we will be happy to help this process.
This is the cooperation China is seeking with African countries on the next
five-year plan.
"China is still interested in
trading and investing in Africa, because Africa has lots of prospects for the future,"
she remarked.The volume of foreign trade between China and the African
continent resulted in a 30 percent growth between 2000 and 2001.
International trade promoters have
observed that although China is willing to invest in the African continent is
faced with numerous challenges, and therefore Africa must do more to convince
and entice Chinese investors into sustaining their investment.
Among some negative tendencies are
pilfering of equipment and misuse of raw materials; political instability, high
tax regimes, xenophobic attacks and, ultimately, the unavailability of skilled
workforces are some of the factors hindering capital-intensive Chinese
investments in Africa.
African governments therefore need
to rigorously enforce and apply their laws to deal with some Chinese nationals
whose activities infringe the laws of countries where they have their
investments, because China’s government might not be privy to the activities of
such Chinese nationals.
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