FM's visit to Africa shows commitment

A recent visit by China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang to Africa reflected the continuity of China's policy on the continent, experts said.

"This visit has been designed to introduce a new Chinese foreign minister to key African partners of Beijing and important multilateral institutions like the AU and Arab League," Alex Vines, director of the Africa Program at policy institute Chatham House, told China Daily.

Qin, who was appointed foreign minister in late December after serving as the US ambassador, recently concluded his first official overseas visit to Africa after taking office.

From Jan 9 to 16, he visited Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin and Egypt as well as the headquarters of the African Union and the League of Arab States.

For 33 consecutive years, Chinese foreign ministers have started the year with a visit to Africa.

Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, described the tradition as a "tremendous thing".Gupta told China Daily that the tradition demonstrates three things.

The first is that China keeps its promises, and the promises are kept for decades. "So, it commits to its promise. That's the point," he said.

Second, Chinese foreign ministers' trips to Africa include visits to a wide range of African countries.

"Small, big, west, east, everywhere. China does not discriminate between small countries and big countries or play favorites in Africa or elsewhere," Gupta said.

Third, he said China is committed to the continent's development,while Africa also seeks prosperity and growth.

"The Chinese foreign minister going to Africa every year for the last 33 years is a symbol of that commitment to China and Africa's development," Gupta said.

He stressed that there is continuity to the tradition, which is about adapting to local institutions and conditions and "supporting their development in the context of those specific African countries themselves".

"There is no single playbook regarding how China engages Africa. Instead, what China does is try to adapt to local circumstances and be adaptive to local strategies, and that's what I see as the most important factor of China's engagement with Africa," he said.

During a joint news conference with AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on Jan 11, Qin said Africa is a big stage for international cooperation rather than an arena for major power rivalry.

Gupta said the greatest interest of the African people is to be treated respectfully as people who "seek development and prosperity", not"pawns in a larger political game" or"an epicenter of global contestation".

'Trustworthy, willing'

"And they're looking for partners who are willing to be trustworthy and willing to stay the course in helping them develop. And they will be loyal development partners also reciprocally with those countries,"Gupta said.

He also said there should be room for the United States and China to cooperate on climate change or even infrastructure in Africa.

For example, the two countries could enable and assist the energy transition to solar, renewables and other electricity sources for some African countries by providing financing at a multilateral or a bilateral level.

However, those prospects do not seem feasible now.

"The fact of the matter is, the sentiment in the US in Washington is that, even if we have a chance to cooperate with China in Africa, we will not do it. We would rather seek to do whatever we do ourselves and with our allies and partners. And it ultimately ends up boiling down to a zero-sum game," Gupta said.

"And it does not help Africans, and it does not help any of the parties involved. And especially because there is no need to really compete for Africa in this day and age geostrategically. Unfortunately, though, that's how matters are playing themselves out at this point of time."

Vines said there is "a Cold War atmosphere currently developing,of which most African countries are disinterested in taking part - preferring to be nonaligned and not becoming pigeonholed by great power rivalry".

But he said he also believes that"there is an opportunity for cooperation and managed competition in Africa".