Madagascar’s President Andry Nirina Rajoelina has called for more agricultural cooperation with China, saying the two countries will set an example for China-Africa cooperation.
In an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV) after attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September, Rajoelina shared his plan on expanding cooperation with China.
“Madagascar is Africa’s largest island. When you browse the world map and take a closer look at Africa, Madagascar, as the largest island in southwestern Africa, cannot be overlooked. Its location is of great strategic significance. We urgently need to promote multiple cooperation projects, especially in the fields of agriculture and agricultural transition. Madagascar will play a demonstrative role in China-Africa cooperation,” Rajoelina said.
As the world’s fourth largest island, Madagascar is one of the world’s prime biodiversity hotspots and approximately 90 percent of its plant and animal species are endemic, including its lemurs and baobab trees.
China and Madagascar established diplomatic ties in 1972. On September 6 this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Rajoelina in Beijing. The two leaders announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
Madagascar was one of the first African countries to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China and one of the founding countries of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Madagascar to play demonstrative role in China-Africa cooperation: president
Persistent water shortages in Mexico City have been exacerbated by a combination of more frequent extreme weather events, rapid population growth, and swift expansion of urban areas, according to Mexican experts.
Water scarcity has been a longstanding urban challenge in the Mexican capital for decades, stemming from natural factors such as droughts and human-induced issues like significant underinvestment in the local water supply infrastructure.
“In recent decades, more and more people demand water. And they don’t have access to it, so it’s almost the same amount of water that has to be distributed among many more people. That is probably the main reason. The second reason is that in previous decades there was not enough investment in the infrastructure. After we use water, we just simply get rid of it. And what we don’t do is to re-clean or clean again the water to distribute among people,” said Victor Orlando Magana, a researcher at the Institute of Geography under the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
According to municipal data, over 12,000 kilometers of water supply pipelines are long overdue for maintenance, resulting in severe leakage issues in the city.
Additionally, groundwater faces problems such as overexploitation and significant pollution. Unequal distribution of water resources among different districts in the city is also a pressing concern.
“The exploitation rate of groundwater in Mexico City is 2.15 times faster than its natural recharge rate. If this exploitation rate continues without intervention, groundwater resources could be depleted within the next four to five decades,” said Jorge Alberto Arriaga, coordinator of the Water Network Project at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Water shortages worsen in Mexico City as extreme weather and urban growth collide
Source link : https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/4237790-madagascar-to-play-demonstrative-role-in-china-africa-cooperation-president
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Publish date : 2024-10-12 11:17:11
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