'If you want to go far, go together'

Intellectual exchanges will bring more zeal to China-Africa relations, says think-tank chief

Intellectual exchanges, particularly between think tanks, are crucial for the success and growth of Sino-African ties, says Elizabeth Sidiropoulos.

The chief executive of the Johannesburg-based South Africa Institute of International Affairs, says the exchanges add more value to the growing political and economic cooperation between China and Africa.

"Our aim is to help China better understand Africa, and also the regional context within which we make our choices. It is a critical dimension of research cooperation," she says.

China's amazing growth story is an excellent inspiration and a good role model for African nations that are planning big strides in the global arena, Sidiropoulos says.

"As Africans and as researchers we recognize that research cooperation, especially with China, is the best way to hone our skills and enhance our capacities. It also helps us to become masters of our own fate," says Sidiropoulos, who was in Beijing last month for the Think Tank 10 + 10 Partnership Plan meeting, a conclave of Chinese and African think tanks.

The meeting owes its genesis to the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum, which was set up in 2011, and represents an effort to bring together minds - in the form of policymakers, academia and think tanks - to bridge the existing gaps in perceptions, values and experiences.

Sidiropoulos, the representative of African think tanks, specializes in Africa's relations with emerging and traditional powers, and international development cooperation with emerging powers.

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together," she says, quoting from an African proverb, on the need for more research cooperation.

Having said that, she also admits that the Sino-African relationship is not just the bringing together of states and governments, but also of people and institutions. "We are confident that we will go far and wide."

Sidiropoulos says that African think tanks must take the lead in understanding and explaining China to African policymakers and citizens, especially its strong domestic roots and foreign policy.

"Though Africa and China are separated by a great ocean, history has managed to bring us together," she says.

Sidiropoulos says that the South African Institute of International Affairs has a longstanding research relationship with China, one that goes back to the groundbreaking conference on China-South Africa relations in the mid-1990s.

Along with economist Thomas Fues and researcher Sachin Chaturvedi, Sidiropoulos has authored a book called Development Cooperation and Emerging Powers: New Partners or Old Patterns? in 2012. The book explores the development policies of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, and positions the case studies in the context of South-South cooperation and on the lessons learnt from traditional forms of aid.

Over the past decade, China has emerged as a key developing economy in the world, and its rise has been the catalyst for the global West-East shifts in economics, politics and diplomacy, she adds.

Though "Africa Rising" has grabbed global attention in recent years, there is still a lot that African nations have to do to ensure safety, good governance and decent living standards, Sidiropoulos says.

"The highly complex and interdependent world offers great opportunities for all of us. But it also calls for more cooperation to unlock the full potential and reduce risks," she says, adding that enhanced research cooperation would deepen mutual understanding and help create a sustainable future.

China has become Africa's largest trade partner, and Africa is China's major source of imports. Africa is China's second-largest overseas construction project contract market and its fourth-largest investment destination.

China-Africa economic and trade development has improved people's livelihoods and diversified the economic development in several African countries. It has also provided strong support for China's socio-economic development and contributed to South-South cooperation and balanced global economic development, says a white paper on China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation released by the Chinese government in August.

Though energy and mineral resource exploitation has been the major impetus for the economic boom in many African countries, Sidiropoulos, who is also the editor-in-chief of the South African Journal of International Affairs, says Africa's international partners must understand the risks of resource exploitation.

"There is no doubt that oil and gas exploration creates huge development opportunities for Africa. But, it is also a major challenge and that is something that the external partners need to be aware of," she says, adding that in many cases oil exploration led to corruption, something that does not translate into local development.

Sidiropoulos says that internal conflicts over oil may be exacerbated further by external factors, such as the substantial security challenges in the Middle East. "Africa should ensure that it does not become the next Middle East."

According to China's General Administration of Customs, the Middle East is the country's biggest oil provider, contributing 49 percent of oil imports from January to October in 2012, while the African continent, ranked second, accounted for 23 percent of the supplies during the same period.

Sidiropoulos says Africa wants China to play a constructive role in addressing tensions and bringing peace and security to the African continent.

"We already have challenges over resource control in Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Mali. China has good relations with most of the African nations. When these countries face serious internal issues, it's important for China to work with them to stabilize the situation," she says.

By the end of June, nearly 1,752 Chinese peacekeepers had been deployed on nine United Nations peacekeeping missions to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, South Sudan and Darfur.

Sidiropoulos says that in addition to deploying UN peacekeepers, it is also essential for China to provide systematic security support and resources for African nations.

zhaoyanrong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/15/2013 page32)