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Chinese firm AVIC International has launched in Kenya the latest edition of the Africa Tech Challenge (ATC), which aims to help nurture Africa's talents for the continent's industrialization drive. AVIC International plans to roll out the contest to 54 African countries in the long run. NAIROBI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 6th edition of the Africa Tech Challenge (ATC) funded by Chinese firm AVIC International has been launched in Kenya, which aims to help nurture Africa's talents for the continent's industrialization drive. Kevit Desai, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Education's State Department of Vocational and Technical Education (TVET), addresses participants during the launch of the Africa Tech Challenge, Season 5 in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, July 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Charles Onyango) Kevit Desai, principal secretary of the State Department of Vocational and Technical Training in the Ministry of Education, told reporters in Nairobi that the regional youth competition seeks to promote skills development and catalyze Africa's industrial transformation. This year's Africa Tech Challenge brings together teams from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Zambia, in Kenya to offer training in mechanical engineering and lathe machining, and winners will be awarded cash prizes as well as a manufacturing contract. Desai said that the initiative will help to deliver high standards of material production and development that is central to improve industrial competitiveness. He observed that ATC provides an opportunity for African nations to work with China, which is one of the most industrialized countries in the world. The government official said that the contest which began in 2014 was initially undertaken in Kenya and has since been rolled out in other African countries. He noted that the Chinese-funded skills program will go a long way in mentoring young graduates from technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges to become role models for others to emulate while creating employment opportunities for the youth in the world markets of manufacturing. According to the education ministry, the project is expected to support and offer assistance to the students currently studying technical disciplines to give them a chance to pioneer the country towards embracing technical skills and creating self-employment. "In my view, this contest will meet its objectives of training Kenyans and equipping them with productive skills for their development and of meeting the national development goals," Desai said. Zhao Leilei from AVIC International, who is program manager of ATC, noted that the long-term goal of AVIC International is to roll out the contest to 54 countries in Africa. Zhao said that ATC is the corporate social responsibility program under the ongoing Kenya-C

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The South Africa government will establish ten digital hubs across the country to bridge the digital divide among township residents and equip the youths with skills and knowledge to prepare them for the fourth industrial revolution, said a senior government official on Friday. The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Nomalungelo Gina on Friday said the digital hubs would be built inside the state-owned industrial parks. They will focus on creating a central meeting point for technology, innovation and creative businesses in the areas surrounding the industrial parks. She stated that these will assist start-up accelerator programs, business incubators and training programs. "The digital hubs seek to provide young people with skills and access to e-learning opportunities, basic business development support and business intelligence in order to encourage them to pursue entrepreneurship," said Gina. She said the government would like to prioritize the creation of digital hubs as part of its efforts to skill the country's youth and reduce youth unemployment.

US stock markets have fallen for a second day following a decision by Donald Trump to impose new tariffs on a further $300bn of Chinese imports. The three main US indexes all closed the week down, following sharp falls in Europe and Asia. The US President's move came after the latest round of bilateral talks showed little sign of a breakthrough. The 10% tariffs, due to take effect on 1 September, effectively tax all Chinese imports to the US. US-China trade war in 300 words The US-China trade war in charts US-China trade war: Caught in the crossfire The tariffs are likely to target a wide range of goods, from smartphones to clothing. A spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry warned the country would retaliate against the US for imposing duties. "If the US implements the tariff measures, China will have to take necessary counter-measures to resolutely defend the core interests of the country and its people." She declined to say what this might involve, but earlier this year it China signalled that it may curb exports of rare earth minerals to the US. China is the largest producer of rare earths which are vital to a number of US industries such as electric car manufacturing and wind turbine production. Mr Trump announced the tariff plan on Twitter on Thursday, while taking aim at China for not honouring promises to buy more US agricultural products at this week's negotiations in Shanghai. He also attacked Chinese President Xi Jinping for failing to do more to stem sales of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. In later remarks, the US president told reporters the 10% tariffs were a short-term measure and could be lifted in stages to more than 25%. This would be on top of the $250bn of Chinese goods that are already being taxed at 25% by the Trump administration. Research firm Oxford Economics said: "We expect this step to make China less keen to achieve a deal and more determined to prepare itself for long-term economic tension with the US."

NAIROBI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Samson Onkoba is among the African youths that have benefited from advanced training in technical skills courtesy of Chinese firm AVIC International which finances the Africa Tech Challenge (ATC). The 25-year-old Onkoba learnt software engineering he was selected to join ATC. "I hope to use the skills I have acquired to develop products that will help to accelerate Africa's industrialization process," Onkoba told Xinhua on Thursday during the launch of the sixth edition of the ATC. ATC Season 6 will focus on skills development for industrial transformation and see participation by 17 teams from across eight African countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Zambia. The ATC five-week training will culminate in a competition that will see the top six teams walk away with cash prizes worth over 1,000,000 Kenyan shillings (9,600 U.S. dollars) while the top two teams will also be awarded manufacturing contracts worth 96,000 dollars. After performing well during ATC, Onkoba was awarded a scholarship to study MBA at the Beihang University in Beijing. He observed that African youths are keen to learn advanced manufacturing technology from China in order to help the continent expand its industrial base. Africa has the least developed industrial sector in the world, despite having huge natural resources that can be processed to produce manufactured goods. Charity Ojwang is also a beneficiary of the ATC program having being selected for the first edition. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Beihang University on a scholarship. She hailed the Chinese education system because it focuses on imparting skills that the industry requires. Ojwang said that she intends to utilize the knowledge and expertise she acquires from the Asian giant to help Africa expand its manufacturing sector. She urged the continent to emulate China in order to develop products that can compete globally. "China has become the world manufacturing center by developing products that meet the needs of consumers," Ojwang added. Another beneficiary of ATC project is Eric Bekale who is a lecturer of a technical training institute in Gabon. He was accompanied by three students from his country to train in Nairobi in mechanical engineering. He noted that China is a true friend of Africa because it has developed an innovative program that will improve the technical know-how of young Africans. Bekale said that Africa has a deficit of technical skills required to drive the continent's industrialization agenda. He noted that China remains a role model for Africa because of its industrial prowess. "We should partner with China in order borrow critical technology that will help to enhance value addition in the continent," he added. Sie Pierre Kam from Cote d'Ivoire has also been selected to participate in the six edition of ATC. Kam noted that Africa faces a lot of challenges in its quest to improve its industrial output. "By partnering with China, Africa will have access to modern technology required to make the continent reduce its dependence on exports of raw materials and become an exporter of finished goods," Kam added.

LUSAKA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A Zambian peace and development expert has urged African governments to continue enhancing China-Africa relations stating that the continent still has a lot to learn and share with China given that country's economic success. Lawrence Banda, who is Universal Peace Federation-Zambia Chapter Vice Secretary General told Xinhua that it is in the best interest of Africa to continue to further enhance Africa-China relations as China has demonstrated unwavering support to Africa. Banda further commended China for assisting African governments to meet people's growing demands for services and infrastructure within a short period of time. "In the case of Zambia, we now have in place ultra modern health, telecommunications as well as education facilities and road networks that have been put up with the support of China," he said. Banda observed that even after 55 years of Zambia-China cooperation, China has remained committed to the development of Zambia and the whole of Africa, which is witnessing unprecedented infrastructure development supported by China. According to him, a good number of African governments do not want to engage entities that insist on economic reforms that do not serve the interest of African populations. China's support allows African governments to have access to finance, expertise and investment capital without much stress, Banda observed. He was, however quick to point out that it is the responsibility of African countries to ensure that they use the support from China judiciously and in ways that promote sustainable growth. "We have the natural resources and they have the technology and expertise to help grow economies in Africa; so let us engage them at that level," Banda advised. He further appealed for more Chinese investment in the Zambian agriculture sector, with a particular focus on livestock production.

A batch of oversized engineering cables carried by Goglobal has been tied and shipped to the port of Tema in West Africa to complete the shipment at the Shenzhen port. The batch of materials for a Ghanaian engineering company in China to purchase large-scale engineering cables, due to the weight of up to 30 tons each, the size is also seriously exceeded, the height of up to 4 meters. In order to ensure the safety of the transport of goods, Goglobal tailored the transport ation plan for the shipment, made a detailed cargo binding plan, and strictly implemented, to ensure the smooth boarding of the goods.

On July 23rd, the Yantian port area welcomed the first voyage of the "MSC Gulson", the world's largest container ship with the largest capacity. With a total length of 400 meters and a width of 62 meters, the ship can carry 23,756 tetherates with a total tonnage of 230,000 tons, making it the largest container ship in the global shipping market. MSC-Gurson serves the Asia-Europe route and sails for about 36 days. The Yantian port area is the last port for the ship's maiden voyage in China, which will then sail to Europe via the Malaysian port of Parapas. "MSC Gulson" in the Yantian port port berthing period, the entire use of shore electricity, a total of about 4200 boxes. It is reported that "Mediterranean Gulson" is the Mediterranean shipping order edgout of 11 23,000 TEU ships delivered the first, the other 10 similar class of super-sized ships will be put into use. The wheel is optimized to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Super-large ships for the port of water depth conditions and loading and unloading capacity put forward higher requirements, Yantian port area as a natural deep-water port in southern China, with 20 large container deepwater berths, natural channel water depth of 17.6 meters, the world's largest container ships can freely enter and exit the port area. With its natural deep water conditions, advanced terminal facilities and efficient operation capabilities, Yantian Port Area is frequently favored by the world's Big Mac cargo ships.

The first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) kicked off Thursday in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, focusing on cooperation in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure, cross-border e-commerce and finance. CAETE, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), aims to build a platform for both sides to deepen economic and trade cooperation. President Xi noted at the opening ceremony of FOCAC that China will implement eight major initiatives with African countries in the next three years and beyond, covering fields such as industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, and green development. Some 10,000 guests and traders are attending the three-day event that runs from June 27 to 29, including attendees from 53 African countries and representatives from international organizations such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the World Food Programme, and the World Trade Organization. "Industrial development and free trade among ourselves will foster faster growth for our mutual benefit," said Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at the opening ceremony. "This Forum should, among others, enable us to devise ways of turning these rays of hope into a reality." Hailing the long-term friendship with Africa, Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Qian Keming said at the expo that the bilateral trade and economic cooperation should be practical and concrete to meet the development needs of African countries in areas such as infrastructure construction and talent cultivation. China saw three-percent year-on-year growth of foreign trade with African countries in the first five months this year, hitting 84.8 billion U.S. dollars. China's direct investment to the continent has increased by 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in the past five months, up 20 percent year on year, according to Qian. According to Assome Aminata Diatta, Senegal's Minister of Trade and SMEs, China is an ideal partner for Africa to upgrade its capacity when China is seeking higher-quality growth driven by innovation. Bringing modern production lines to Africa, especially in the special economic zones, will likely provide tens of millions of jobs for Africa, accelerate its industrialization and improve the trade structure between China and Africa, Diatta said. The fair will feature exhibition areas covering over 40,000 square meters, including national pavilions and display areas for enterprises that showcase the achievements and opportunities of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, according to Xinhua. A slew of conferences, seminars, forums and exhibitions will be held during the expo, with experts exchanging ideas on closer bilateral ties.

The United States' capricious way of policymaking and swinging "big sticks" at negotiations will do no good in solving problems, and China has to take strong countermeasures, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday. Gao Feng, spokesman for the ministry, said the two sides had achieved positive outcomes in the agriculture and energy sectors during previous talks both in Washington in May and in Beijing early this month. "The two sides had agreed to have another round of talks on manufacturing and service sectors and hold a detailed discussion on the structural issues in the following days," Gao said. "However, we are deeply sorry that the US has been acting unpredictably with its policy-making and has triggered a trade war." Gao said despite the positive outcomes of earlier talks, China is being forced to respond in a strong manner. "The US is accustomed to negotiating with others while holding 'big sticks'," Gao said. "But it does not work with China, and such irrational behavior will do no good in solving any issue." To counter the Trump administration's threats to slap a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion of Chinese products - in addition to issuing a tariff list for $50 billion Chinese goods - China fired back by being preparing "qualitative and quantitative" countermeasures after introducing tariffs on the same amount of US goods, $50 billion, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. That amount includes automobiles, even though China had announced lower duties on imported vehicles of an average of 13.8 percent last month. "Lowering import tariffs is a practical measure for China to further open up," Gao said. "It is a decision we take reluctantly to impose additional tariffs on imported vehicles from the US, but we have to do it to respond to the US tariff hike." Gao said the US always blames other countries for its own inner structural problems, and accuses China of forcing technology transfers and stealing intellectual property, which is a serious distortion of the facts. "Someone accused the Chinese government of forcing foreign companies to transfer their technology, but I have never heard of such actions," said Wu Song, general manager of the product and distribution department for the Asia-Pacific of Johnson Controls, a US industrial conglomerate. Economists said the US global trade deficit started to balloon several years before China's surplus surged. They said that suggests the cause of the imbalance lies somewhere other than with China. Trump's thinking on trade is largely misguided, Yukon Huang, a senior fellow in the Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Associated Press. "The reason we have a trade war is that the fundamental assumptions that ... are totally wrong," Huang. Huang added that such assumptions included the idea that the trade deficit is a problem and that there's too much US investment in China, when in fact there's too little. The trade surplus China has with the US was caused by the country's role as the final assembly point in the industrial chain for components imported from neighboring economies, said Liang Ming, director of the institute of international trade at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing. Imposing new tariffs on Chinese goods is only an excuse for the US government to irrationally pursue political goals, as it has placed heavy restrictions on high-tech exports to China, said Lyu Xiang, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He said the trade deficit issue will disappear automatically or drop significantly if the US traded with China in high-tech products, including aircraft engines.