Fujian, Ningxia tell story of shared development

During a recent visit, Peter Kagwanja, president and chief executive officer of the Africa Policy Institute (API) in Kenya, was struck by the transformation that has taken place in Hongde village in Hongsibu district, Wuzhong, Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

"In Africa, you would not call this a village," Kagwanja said. "This would be a town. It is so modern."

Over the past 30 years, Fujian province has provided 7.68 billion yuan ($1.14 billion) in assistance to Ningxia and implemented more than 4,100 projects, helping residents move out of barren mountains and settle in new communities.

But relocation was only the beginning. At an agricultural produce processing workshop in Minning town, Kagwanja met Ma Yan, a relocated resident who now earns 3,000 to 4,000 yuan a month. Fujian has helped build 410 assistance workshops in Ningxia, creating jobs close to home for 200,000 residents. The local economy has expanded beyond farming and livestock breeding to include agricultural processing, connecting production with markets.

The cooperation has also relied on sustained personnel support. Fujian has sent 254 officials and more than 7,000 professionals to Ningxia, helping build a long-term cooperation system involving government departments, counties, and social organizations.

Feng Xia, a professor at Xiamen University, said the cooperation offers a methodology that can be shared rather than a model imposed on others.