On January 18, 2025, the Chinese Embassy in Angola held the 2025 Spring Festival Reception in Luanda. Ambassador Zhang Bin extended his New Year's greetings to the audience, and highlighted the transformative achievements of China-Angola cooperation.

Ambassador Zhang Bin commended China's achievements in economic and social development. He said, China's economy maintained a good momentum in 2024, with its gross domestic product (GDP) reaching 130 trillion yuan (about 18 trillion U.S. dollars), contributing over 30% to world economic growth. He pointed that these achievements demonstrated China's commitment in innovation, sustainable development, and global cooperation.

He pointed out that Year 2024 was an extraordinary year for China-Angola relations. In March 2024, Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço paid a state visit to China, elevating bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. The two sides signed cooperation agreements covering such areas as infrastructure, trade, agriculture, and sustainable development.

He also noted that in July 2024, the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries was successfully held in Luanda, bringing together more than 500 entrepreneurs. China’s investment projects in Angola have helped to boost its agriculture, industry, mining and other sectors, creating over 42,000 jobs for locals and providing training for over 28,000 local employees.

He added that in September 2024, the Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark arrived in Angola for a seven-day goodwill visit. It provided medical service for more than 6,700 patients, marking an important milestone in China-Angola relations. In addition, dozens of Angolan students embarked for China as part of the Chinese government's scholarship program, helping to strengthen people-to-people exchanges between China and Angola.

Ambassador Zhang Bin spoke highly of the Chinese community in Angola as a bridge between the two peoples. He said, "Through people-to-people exchanges and education cooperation, China helped tens of thousands of Angolans improve their lives and deepened the traditional friendship with Angola."

He wished both nations great prosperity and harmony in the Year of the Snake, a symbol of life, wisdom, and harvest. He said that China will continue to work with Angola to deepen political mutual trust, advance practical cooperation and make new progress in our comprehensive strategic partnership.

Strategic Partnership and Economic Cooperation

Government officials and business leaders at the reception praised the achievements of China-Angola relations and looked forward to a brighter future of the bilateral ties.

Norberto Garcia, a representative of Angola's ruling MPLA party, stressed the importance of China-Angola cooperation. He noted that the collaboration transcended party interests and brought potential benefits to the two peoples. He said that China is a major power with millions of enterprises, which offers great opportunities for Angola. Solid progress has been made in economic and trade cooperation, frequent mutual visits at various levels have taken place, and cooperation has deepened and yielded tangible results.

Norberto Garcia pointed out that cultural exchange is a key pillar for strengthening relations between peoples. He said, "Bonds of culture bind nations together. Angola is now playing a more and more important role on the global stage, which clearly demonstrates that China-Angola cooperation extends beyond economics to social, cultural and other sectors."

Economic Achievements

Luis Cupeñala, President of the Angola-China Chamber of Commerce, presented statistics of China-Angola economic cooperation. He said, the total trade volume between China and Angola reached 23.05 billion US dollars in 2023, and over 24 billion US dollars in 2024. These figures show the sustainability of China-Angola relations and the strengthening of bilateral ties.

He also noted that the Angola-China Business Forum, which is scheduled for 2025, is an important platform for promoting investments. He said, through cooperation with Chinese companies, Angola could ensure the sustainable use of its natural resources, and foster the development in manufacturing, technology and other fields. For example, Chinese company Huawei’s tech park in Angola has helped to train many local talents in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

Investments and Challenges

Luis Cupeñala also made an introduction on Chinese investment projects in Angola. The Chinese-funded Aluminum Industrial Park in Angola, with an investment of 1.6 billion U.S. dollars, is expected to generate 12,000 jobs by 2030. He said, "These investment projects are showing China's support to Angola. Meanwhile, we’re still facing some challenges, such as abiding by the Labor laws and the need for greater economic diversification."

About the author:

João Feliciano, journalist of Angola National Newspaper. The article was culled from Angola National Newspaper on Jan.20, 2025.