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China and Africa have been supporting and helping each other in the fight against COVID-19 since its outbreak, which will enhance long-term health cooperation between China and Africa.
At the height of China’s battle against the disease, Africa urgently sent needed medical supplies and warm messages to its Asian friend. In return, after Africa was struck by the virus, China was the first to rush to its aid, and it has stood firm with the African people.
Zhou Jinyan, an assistant research professor at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China has focused on improving local health care infrastructure to bolster the continent’s ability to fight the pandemic.
According to a communique issued by the African Union in June, China has ensured the supply of 30 million testing kits, 10,000 ventilators and 80 million masks each month for Africa.
China has also dispatched medical experts to more than 10 African countries and shared anti-pandemic notes with medical workers across the continent via video conferences.
At a webinar held on Aug. 26, Zhou said that in addition to government departments, Chinese enterprises and civil organizations, such as the Jack Ma Foundation, Alibaba Foundation, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and the Chinese Red Cross Foundation have also actively assisted Africa’s fight against the virus.
“When providing to African countries, China has upheld multilateralism and cooperated with international organizations to improve global public health governance,” Zhou said.
The webinar, which was titled “Flattening the Curve in Africa through Aid,” was co-organized by the Development Innovation Insider (Diinsider) and the Global Max Media Group.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Aug. 31 that the number of positive COVID-19 cases across the African continent has risen to 1,245,230.
Kong Zhe, a cofounder of Diinsider, said that although the number of confirmed cases in Africa doesn’t make up a large proportion of the global total, the lack of test kits, multiple natural disasters and growing fall-out from the pandemic means that the international community needs to pay attention to the situation of the pandemic in Africa and lend it more assistance.
Zhou noted that funding shortages will severely impact the amount of aid Africa receives. “The amount of aid that Africa could receive will depend on the economic impact COVID-19 has on traditional donor countries and their financial policies,” she said.
According to a statement jointly released by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in April, official creditors have mobilized up to US$57 billion for Africa in 2020 alone, and private creditor support this year could amount to an estimated US$13 billion.
“This is an important start, but the continent needs an estimated US$114 billion in 2020 in its fight against COVID-19, leaving a financing gap of around US$44 billion,” said the statement.
China’s medical support of Africa dates back more than half a century. In 1963, China sent its first medical team to Algeria. “Over the past 57 years, China’s medical and health aid programs for Africa have not only upgraded health services in both Africa and China, but it has also promoted overall cooperation between developing countries,” Kong said.
At the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19, which was held in mid-June, China and Africa made new commitments, agreeing to extend each other more support and seek closer cooperation during the pandemic.
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