Cape Town calls for Chinese energy investors

SEEPHEEPHE MAHAO

SHANDONG: The Premier of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa this week joint the envoy of city governors for the 2023 World Cities Forum and Regional Leaders’ Summit held in Shandong Province China.

It was in this forum where Premier Alan Winde expressed the energy crisis, not only facing his city of Cape Town but the whole country of South Africa. The world cities forum this year focused on the Green Development and Low Carbon Life. This is where Winde loudly called for energy firms to invest and promote the green development and low carbon in the province of Western Cape.

“As we gather here today, I am happy to be able to invite your businesses to engage with our businesses to find solutions to carbon zero future. In our province which is in the southern part of our country, we use 4000MW of power at the moment”.

“Our province has a target of 5700MW in the next 10 year of green and renewable energy and we are certain that your companies, as they are already doing it, are going to find an opportunity to invest and in finding the solution for us in moving towards green development” Winde said.

Shandong has been a partner of Western Cape for more than 20 years and have mutual corporate relations, this saw Winde signing the memorandum of understanding with Communist Party of China Secretary of Shandong Province Lin Wu on Enhancing Friendly Cooperative Relations between Shandong and the Western Cape Province.

On his opening remarks, Lin Wu outlined the Province of Shandong’s developments and achievements in the transformation of green energy and low carbon in most cities around the province. The province also made a huge development on industrial economy, growing digital economy, vigorously develop emerging industries such as new generation information technology, renewable energy, and new materials and industries.

He mentioned that President Xi Jinping showed the importance of people-to-people friendship and requires vigorous efforts to carry out international friendly city work and promote exchanges between Chinese and foreign local governments.”

“In recent years, Shandong has thoroughly implemented the important instructions and requirements of President Xi Jinping, adhered to the concepts of openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit, and win-win, and promoted friendly city cooperation to achieve fruitful results”, said Wu.

Shandong has 623 friendly cities and friendly cooperative relations with 94 national and local governments. This forum was graced by over 400 delegates from different parts of the world including Nigeria and Kenya joining their African counter part South Africa.