According to the researcher, on the side of opportunities for Angola is what China can help in the diversification of the Angolan economy and job creation, especially for young people, one of the country's major problems.
From China's side, Angola is a country of opportunities, in the areas of mining, renewable energies, agriculture, fishing and as an oil producer, and "an important partner" in Africa.
However, João Shang does not deny that there are risks in this relationship, not at the level of the Governments, but of the two peoples, admitting that the language is an obstacle and that the labor problems between some Chinese investors and their workers or even with the community do not have facilitated the relationship between the two countries.
There is also the question of the devaluation of the Angolan currency, which worries Chinese investors.
As for the national economy, he considered that the country lacks "an industrial structure, income distribution structure and import trade structure".
The consensus of almost all economists is that Angola's long-term dependence on oil exports has resulted in a "unique economic structure, weak capacity for independent innovation and excessive dependence on the external economy", said the researcher.
Thus, in a process of formulating policies and models of economic development, the Government "must vigorously support the entry of the private economy", defended Shang, to encourage the development of private companies that "can solve almost 65 percent of youth unemployment" .
For the researcher, it is also important that Angola "abandon xenophobic thinking and introduce an open policy", namely to "know the advantages of the economic policies of neighboring countries".
When the national economy "is more difficult, the Government needs to adopt more open and inclusive reform measures; people need to work with the Government to solve the existing problems, instead of solving the problem through violence", he stressed.
Warning that when governments fail to provide employment, self-employment and finding new job opportunities is the only way out of poverty. "We hope that Angola will achieve wealth in the future for young people," he concluded.
The researcher was one of the speakers at the III International Congress of Angolanistics, which is taking place at the National Library in Lisbon, an initiative of the Angola Scientific Research Network (Angola Reseach Network).
As an important strategic partner of China in Africa, Angola has become the Asian giant's second largest trading partner and an important investment destination in Africa. At the same time, "China is Angola's biggest trading partner", underlined Shang in his speech.
Chinese companies have invested in the construction of industrial parks, agriculture and fisheries, communications and other areas, which "have played an important role in reinforcing the capacity for independent and sustainable development and in promoting employment in Angola", he stressed.
"Over the past 40 years of relationship, we have set an example of mutual benefit between China and Africa. The China-Angola pragmatic cooperation has been continuously developed and consolidated, forming a pattern of intertwined interests of friendship and cooperation", he stressed.
In Angola, Chinese companies built 2,800 kilometers of railways, 20,000 kilometers of roads, more than 100,000 social housing sets, more than 100 schools and more than 50 hospitals, he said.
The Kaculo Kabaça Hydroelectric Power Plant, the New Agostinho Neto International Airport, the New City of Kilamba Kiaxi and Zango 5, the Benguela Railway, the Port of Caio, the Soyo Power Plant and "many other cooperation projects have been successfully implemented".
There are more than 350 Chinese finance companies operating in Angola, investing mainly in agriculture, drinking water, fisheries, manufacturing, trade, real estate and other areas, with a focus on construction, trade, real estate and manufacturing.
