The economic interplay between China and Africa is one that is being completely misconceived and misinterpreted, especially by people who do not explore more of such relations and only make a comparative synergy with the hitherto colonial system. China was not involved in the scramble for Africa; did not participate in the partitioning of Africa, but rather was a victim of attempted colonial domination of Japan.
The Chinese foreign policy, contrary to the principles of colonialism and imperialism, directs the Chinese state out of political interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states. This is due to the respect China has for sovereignty and equality of all nations all over the world. China as it is known does not impose its culture (as the western colonialists did through the assimilation and Assimilado Policies) on any nation, but allows for cooperation, integration and exchanges against the former. There is a general argument made by self-compelling groups and parties that, the absence of China in the hitherto scramble for Africa is making it emerge as a new colonial power in Africa. This argument is vague and contradicts the veritable tenets of colonial exposition, where the United States was also looked upon and labelled as a new colonial power as a result of the trends of history when it emerged as the world super power.
China and Africa have shared past and planned to share the future together. This is understandable from the Bandung conference of 1955, when Asian and African leaders gathered to discuss about their future, with efforts to put a glass ceiling and walls against colonialism, imperialism and neocolonialism. Zhou Enlai who led the Chinese delegation to the conference argued that:
In the interest of defending world peace, we Asians and African countries which are under similar circumstances should be the first to cooperate with one-another in a friendly manner and put peaceful coexistence into practice.
After the Bandung conference, trust building continued to be carried out between China and Africa with unity of purpose and one dream of unity and development. The greatest anti-colonial crusader of Africa, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, visited Chairman Mao on 24 February, 1966 in order to consolidate efforts and share ideas against imperialism. Another great Pan-Africanist, Julius Mwalimu Kambarage Nyere re visited China in the mid 1960’s to share same idea with the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. Nyerere came back with the Mao’s pro to-type suit, which later became a dress code for Tanzanian government officials and politicians. In 1971 and 1975, Samora Machel visited China to share with the Chinese about freedom fighting and and how to defeat imperialist aggressors. China supported the FRELIMO fighters of Mozambique with military training to fight against Portuguese colonial domination. With the above exemplifications, one may easily understand without trepidation that China and Africa have been allies for long and share same historical experiences.
The question of concurrent Chinese position to Africa remains the same, for what is left behind is for Africa to adopt same mechanism used by China to move forward but not castigating China for its inherent rise. The mechanism is “unity.” Chairman Mao once declared in 1975: “the unification of our country, the unity of our people and the unity of our various nationalities…are the basic guarantees of the sure triumph of our cause.” This was typical of the idea nursed by the founding fathers of Africa which was later discarded. The position of Nkrumah of Ghana was that “Africa must unite or perish.” Nyerere upheld same idea which was “ without unity, there is no future for Africa.” Africans have also come to learn from the teachings of history, by considering unity in trade with the recent continental free trade area, which will make the continent a border-less entity, with one central bank, single currency, one Army and one vision. This idea of unity between China and Africa was also re-ignited and reiterated by president Xi Jinping, when on the 3rd of September, 2018 declared at the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that “ no one can undermine the great unity between the Chinese and African people.”
It should also be noted that, Human Rights were declared as universal and inviolable rights in the 1948 United Nations Declaration. Second, the principal right of the former colonies to national sovereignty over affairs of their own was proclaimed in the 1960 Declaration of Independence to colonial countries and peoples. Third, nations have assumed the responsibility to attack poverty, and an international obligation of the richer nations to help the poorer has been proclaimed. Thus, development cooperation, in a large sense, may be taken to mean any form of international cooperation aimed at filling the following obligations and efforts: (1) strengthening the national self-determination of the newly independent developing countries, (2) guaranteeing the human rights and access to the benefits of international division of labour to their citizens, and (3) eliminating poverty through reduction of global inequalities.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation started in Beijing in the year 2000. It was established to find a common ground for building trust, unity and cooperation in different areas between China and countries of Africa. There are five major pillars of such cooperation and these are: (i) political trust (ii) Economic cooperation on win-win basis (iii) Cultural exchanges (iv) Security (v) unity in coordination of international affairs. In 2015 under the Johannesburg action plan, the forum identified ten areas of expanding cooperation. The 10 cooperation plans are to deal with the following areas: (a) industrialization (b) Agricultural modernization (c) Public health (d) Green development (e) Exchanges (f) Fighting poverty (g) Trade and investment facilitation (h) Financial services (i) Infrastructure construction, and (j) Cultural relations.
With the attainment of the above plans, Africa will have 30,000 km of new roads and 85 million tons of harbor capacity per year, as well as more than 9 million tons of clean water treatment capacity annually. The programs will also create about 900,000 local jobs for African countries. Besides training of more than 40,000 African officials and technicians in China, the country also set up two dozens of regional vocational education centers and capacity-building institutes in Africa, and cultivated more than 200,000 professional and technical personnel for African countries. In 2018, the Beijing meeting called for even and greater community, with shared future on win-win cooperation with Africa.
What every Nigerian and African must understand in China-Africa relations is the “FIVE NO,” which shapes the partnership between the two sides in all ramifications. President Xi Jinping made it known in September 2018 as he highlighted: “China follows the ‘FIVE NO’ in its relations with Africa.” These are: (1) no interference in African countries’ pursuit of development paths that fit their national conditions (2) no interference in African countries’ internal affairs (3) no imposition of China’s will on African countries (4) no attachment of political strings to assistance to Africa (5) and no seeking of selfish political gains in investment and financing cooperation with Africa.
It is in line with this enviable unity and cooperation shared between China and Africa that some forces around the world become resolute to break the brazing iron between these two great partners. Problems have continued to be created in trade, Hongkong, Taiwan and indirectly in other variegated areas of China’s and African interest. President Xi, in line with the above emphasized that “China is an ocean not a pond. Storms can shake the pond, but cannot shake the ocean.” China must do all it could to protect this relationship and unity with Africa and look for more ways to foster cooperation in divergent areas of meaningful development. Africa must continue to put more efforts in meeting up with its expectations and in making sure that the goals of cooperating with China is fully achieved.
Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, Abuja [email protected]
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