Big ideas needed in Sino-African ties

Scholars and well-thought-out strategies are being called on to deepen the relationship

Increased interaction between Chinese and African scholars is one of the ways to sustain deepening Sino-Africa relations, according to participants at a recent meeting in Nairobi.

Experts, scholars, policymakers and practitioners from many disciplines, think tanks and universities in China and Africa attended.

The one-day seminar on Nov 10 was titled Deepening China-Africa cooperation in industrialization, infrastructure and private enterprise; alternative development strategies for the post-2015 era.

The group was convened by the Foreign Policies Advisory Group of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Africa Policy Institute, a Kenya-based think tank; and the Chinese embassy in Kenya.

Sino-Africa relations have deepened over the recent past under the auspices of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, officials say. FOCAC's next summit is set for Dec 4-5 in Johannesburg.

"Strategies are needed to inform the future relations of the two partners," says Ji Peiding, a diplomat and a member of the Commission for Africa. The commission was set up in 2004 by then-UK prime minister Tony Blair with goals that included the generation of new ideas for development.

Amidst competing forces and a slow-growing global economy, the participants concluded that strengthened academic interaction would breathe fresh life into the partnership.

"There are about 150 completed scholar projects from the two sides. This should be shored up with investment in academic institutions," says Lyu Fengding, a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' advisory group.

"Use think tanks to look and address challenges and opportunities," added Lyu, also co-chairman of the International Advisory Committee at the Charhar Institute, a Chinese nongovernmental think tank.

The growing relationship between China and Africa has attracted worldwide attention, and also has been interpreted different ways.

"The deepening Sino-Africa relations have attracted ire and excitement from different fronts, creating confusion and excitement," says Paul Zeleza, a Malawian historian and vice-chancellor of the United States International University-Africa.

"The celebratory rhetoric narrative speaks about the South-South relationship bound by historic struggles against Western imperialism and a mutual desire to move from the periphery of marginalization," Zeleza says.

Second, he says the dramatic focus by China is compared to African colonization, in which the continent provides a cheap source of raw materials and a market for Chinese manufactured goods.

"And last, China is viewed as Africa's biggest development competitor, whose explosive growth and insatiable quest for global markets threatens Africa's industrialization and competitiveness."

The scholars say they intend to develop strategies that will enable Africa to engage with China on a more sure footing. They also would push African countries to increase awareness of the numerous benefits the relationship has brought.

For one, scholars say they intend to emphasize that the relationship is not new. "Under General Zheng He, China made its first contact with the continent," says Odhiambo Ndege, dean of the School of Social, Cultural and Development Studies at Moi University in Kenya.

Zheng He was a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) mariner who made expeditionary voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and East Africa from 1405 to 1433.

The budding relationship was interrupted for centuries but reestablished during African nations' independence struggles. "Here we see the development of the Tazara Railway," says Ndege. The railway between Tanzania and Zambia was built in the 1970s with Chinese assistance.

"The relationship has grown through China's rapid industrialization in the 1980s and Africa's economic tumult, which saw it undergo structural adjustment programs that gave rise to massive unemployment figures.

"We can say what we are seeing now is a 20-year-old renaissance that is growing," Ndege says.

Second, the two partners have not only benefited from trading but other aspects as well.

Indeed trade has seen massive growth over time. The trade volume between China and Africa has increased from $10 billion in 2000 to $220 billion in 2014, while its share in Africa's total foreign trade increased from 3.82 percent to 20.5 percent.

Moreover, China's investment in Africa has sharply increased from $500 million to $30 billion during the same period. "The volumes are staggering in terms of growth and investment," says Zeleza.

China's contribution in financing and building infrastructure has improved the world's perception of Africa. The increase in foreign investment has propelled the continent into the ranks of the fastest growth areas globally.

"People now see Africa as a continent full of vitality that plays a critical role in the global and economic landscape," says Liu Xianfa, China's ambassador to Kenya.

Noteworthy are additional benefits in entrepreneurship, culture, security and health.

"We have seen under FOCAC that the people-to-people relationship has increased. Exchanges between people form the anchor of bilateral relationships," Zeleza says. "How we treat the Chinese community living in Africa and the African community living in China will strengthen this cooperation."

Africa hosts about 2,500 Chinese enterprises that provide more that 100,000 jobs. There have been about 1.9 million Chinese visitors to the continent and the number grows yearly. In 2014, the number of African students in China exceeded 41,000.

China is the largest contributor of peacekeepers to the African Union among the five members of United Nations Security Council. Its forces have participated in 16 peacekeeping missions, including in some of the continent's hotspots.

During the Ebola epidemic in West Africa last year, China contributed funds and personnel to help the region combat the virus.

Lack of a unifying policy has meant China must deal with a diversity of actors. "Africa is not a single country but 54. This means that there are national, regional and continental players all engaging China. There is no single coherent voice," says Sanusha Naidu, an academic and research specialist affiliated with the Institute for Global Dialogue in South Africa.

"Africa needs to own this cooperation to be able to achieve Agenda 2063," she says. Agenda 2063 is the African Union policy to maximize the use of the continent's resources for all Africans.

Participants said they also hope their recommendations would influence December's FOCAC meeting. For one, strategies to accelerate Africa's ambition to industrialize should be given prominence, they say.

"More value additions should be done in Africa. We need technology and skills to exploit resources from their natural form to top-value products for export," says Karanja Kibicho, principal secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Commenting on China's help in propelling Africa from aid dependant to trade dependant, he emphasizes the need to invest in innovation and creation to sustain development.

"China is at the stage of restructuring its industries and Africa is well poised to be the recipient of labor-intensive industries because of our abundance in human capital," Kibicho says.

Lyu calls for more nongovernmental forums to further friendly cooperation, support cultural investment between the two countries, and investment in academic institutions.

"The continuity of the relationship through students is imperative as education enhances the Sino-Africa relationship," he says.

Focus should also be directed toward building African institutions. "Existing structural problems need to be addressed to strengthen coordination and speed up the decision making process. China and Africa must proactively move with the effects of recovering global growth," says Lyu, who served in Nigeria for four years starting in 1995.

Investment in science and technology may be the solution. "Industrialized countries have grown on the back of research in science and technology. Africa's ambition to grow is not reflected in its investments toward this cause despite its importance," says Donald Chimanike, a researcher from Zimbabwe.

lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/20/2015 page22)