By Senior Reporter, China Africa News
Lilongwe, Malawi-The Malawian Foreign Minister, George T. Chaponda, says developing countries should draw key lessons from China’s development experience while addressing a reception in Lilongwe marking the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Chaponda highlighted that China’s decades of rapid economic growth offer valuable lessons for Malawi and other emerging economies. He emphasised core principles such as “hard work, discipline, focus, zero corruption,” and pointed out that Malawi can make significant progress by improving its agriculture sector and learning from China’s model including the agriculture centre established in Lilongwe.
He also outlined specific areas of China–Malawi cooperation: China’s support for infrastructure such as the dualisation and rehabilitation of Malawi’s M1 Road from Mchinji Roundabout to Kanengo Turn-Off has strengthened trade connectivity along the north-south corridor. He acknowledged Chinese assistance including recent debt relief (about US$20 million) and aid in food and fertiliser following disaster declarations in Malawi.
In urging Malawi and other developing nations to adapt China’s development model, Chaponda stressed that the goal is not mere imitation, but learning from China’s example in capacity-building, agriculture modernisation, infrastructure investment and governance frameworks. He described China’s role under the “South-South Cooperation” framework and suggested Malawi view China as a supporter of empowerment rather than just a donor.
For both Malawian and Chinese audiences, his speech reflects a deepening relationship: for Malawi, an opportunity to invest in meaningful transformation; for China, a reaffirmation of its engagement with partner countries in Africa beyond infrastructure and trade into governance, skills, agriculture and shared development.
