Chinese President Xi Jinping said the dream of modernization pursued by China and Africa will surely set off a wave of modernization in the Global South. With proposals in hand, Chinese and African entrepreneurs hope to ride the wave of opportunities at the Eighth Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs. I ask them how China and Africa can traverse the path towards modernization. 

ALLAN T. MAJURU CEO, ZimTrade "I think it will bring a lot of opportunities. The good thing is today we are meeting the business people and as the government, our job is to facilitate the private sector to meet in the business. People are the ones who then generate the business. So for us, like I said before, our focus is going to be on making sure that we tap into the massive potential that we have that is here in China, in terms of agriculture exports and imports."

SELMA NAMUTUWA Manager of Investment Attraction, Namibia Investment Promotion & Development Board, Office of President "We want high-tech, sort of agricultural techniques, research, and development in terms of the seeds that are easily growing in Namibia, as well as a market for high-value fruits and vegetables in China."

Companies are represented in traditional industries such as infrastructure, finance and trade, as well as emerging industries such as electronic technology, communication satellites, and biomedicine. 

XIONG TAO Vice President, BGl Global Development "At BGI, we have projects. We have laboratories today in a few African countries like South Africa, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. We aim to do more screening project and also genetic research together with more African countries."

LI ZONGPING General Manager of Tianjin Zhongtou Group, Shanghai Pudong Import and Export Company "The opportunities for enterprises are huge. For example, China's clean energy and its advanced digital communications can help African countries develop rapidly. At the same time, Africa also has many products, such as agricultural products, which can also be fed back to China because China needs them."

The entrepreneurs say they want to paint a bright future with China.

Together open a new chapter in our drive for a community with a shared future for mankind.