Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye visited Foshan City in south China's Guangdong Province on Friday, to explore possible collaboration with environmental protection and hydrogen industries based there.
During his stay in Foshan, Ndayishimiye visited an industrial park which prioritizes environmental protection, with a highly automated incineration process that converts urban waste into electricity, a solution that could help tackle Burundi's waste management and power supply challenges.
According to the United Nations, Africa's urban population is growing faster than anywhere else in the world and a growing middle class with changing consumption habits is intensifying waste management challenges.
Ndayishimiye also toured a hydrogen technology center, showcasing hydrogen-powered vehicles from shared bikes to heavy-duty trucks.
China is the world's largest producer and consumer of hydrogen energy. Seen as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels, hydrogen is key to China's climate goals, and could help bridge Africa's energy gap as the continent's population and economy grow.
With more than 150 companies in the sector based there, Foshan's Nanhai district leads China's hydrogen push.
China and Burundi celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations last year. Chinese experts are helping to fight poverty in Burundi through crop innovation, particularly hybrid rice. China pledged 50 billion US dollars in financial support to Africa over the next three years, with Burundi among the countries set to benefit from a fresh wave of Chinese investment.
Before the visit to Guangdong, President Ndayishimiye was in Beijing to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
The three-day FOCAC summit, which concluded on Friday, was the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders.
Themed "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," the event aimed to strengthen friendship and outline future cooperation between the two sides.
Burundian president explores clean energy collaboration in Foshan
