The Ministry of Commerce of China has revealed that it is planning to supply food aid to Africa as several parts of the continent is severely affected by poor harvest due to the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The agency has revealed that it will outline a detailed plan together with the cooperation of other departments and will carry out the measures. China has already committed one billion yuan ($156 million) to be allocated for emergency food aid to the African countries most severely affected.

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During President Xi Jinping's visit to South Africa, he proposed to uplift the ties between the two nations through a comprehensive strategic cooperative relationship. Xi pledged $60 billion to aid 10 major proposed projects across the African continent in the next 3 years. Furthermore, he committed to train 200,000 African technicians and invite 40,000 people to study in the mainland.

Aside from that, the Chinese leader also vowed to initiate agricultural project in 100 villages and develop 50 aid program to enhance Africa's local and international trading. In addition, China will continue to be involved in the peacekeeping missions of the United Nations in the continent and will allocate $60 million to the African Union to boos rapid-response forces in the country.

According to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairperson of the African Union Commission, the robust economic growth and industrialization of China shows that African nations have a chance to eliminate poverty given the right kind of support. 

The director of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University Liu Hongwu said that unlike Western countries, China can share its talent, equipment and technology with Africa because the mode of growth of the continent is quite the same as China was in the early 1980s. African nation, in the next two decades, can utilize the development experience of China in the past 35 years for reference.

Tagschina, Africa, food security, food aid plan