Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
Published: October 06,2023
By Gerald Mbanda
People wave national flags to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in Tian’anmenSquare in Beijing on Oct 1, 2023. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]
October 1st is a great day for the Chinese people when they celebrate their National Day. As I looked at pictures of joyful faces in newspapers and television screens I also felt happy and shared they joy with the Chinese people reflecting on the progress the country has made since 1949. It is a journey of hard work, sacrifice and visionary leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
When I was invited by the Chinese embassy in Rwanda to celebrate the National Day, there was an exhibition in the reception hall that showed in pictures the development journey of China in different areas. One statement on the picture by President Xi Jinping that caught my attention said that, “everything we Chinese Communists are doing is to better lives of the Chinese people, renew the Chinese nation, and promote peace and development for mankind.” I could not agree more with this statement, and the joy of the faces of the Chinese people celebrating the National Day, visibly show a people who are enjoying a better life.
In the 1960’s China’s economy fell among that of poor countries. Some African countries were economically better off than China. In less than a century, China has risen to become the second largest economy in the world and has eliminated absolute poverty. The joy that I share with the Chinese people is that their development trajectory depended entirely on their own hard work and sweat. They did not colonize other countries to steal their wealth as the rich western countries did. To the contrary, while China was still struggling with challenges of a weak economy it did not stop the country from supporting African countries to fight against colonialism and gain independence.
In 1970 when the Chinese government sponsored the construction of The TAZARA Railway to link the landlocked Zambia to the Tanzanian port of Dar esSalaam, it was a project that improved the economies of the East and Southern African countries. The purpose of the TARZARA railways for example contradicts the plan for building the East African railway in the 1890s, by the British colonialists whichwas solely to serve their economic interests. The railway was used to ferry forcibly stolen resources including minerals especially cooper from East African inland to the port for export to Britain.
The joy I share with the Chinese people is their willingness to share their development success with the rest of the world. When the Chinese leaders talk about “building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind,” it reflects moving together as a people with a common destiny. This is a foreign policy goal of the People’s Republic of China, also enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution. However, as much as this philosophy aims at eliminating poverty among poor countries and achieve peace and prosperity for all, the west only thinks in terms of dominating others and maintaining hegemony. Such western view has been a hindrance to achieving global peace and stability.
China’s cooperation with Africa through forums like the Forum for China and Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)and The Belt and Road initiative(BRI) have established essential infrastructural foundations for economic and social development across the continent, leading to industrialization and value addition to exports. This has helped the African continent to escape “the poverty trap” by the western countries, when for decades they deliberately starved Africa from technology transfer, so that the continent continues to be a source of raw materials for their industries. The processed products would be returned to Africa at high costs. The industrialization supported by China has not only resulted into increased processed exports, but has also created jobs and improved skilled labour.
Whenever I get the opportunity to travel to China, I do not stop marveling at the magnificent cities that have been built, the high speed railways, amazing roads and bridges, agricultural modernization and more innovations that show advancement in science and technology, all achieved in less than a generation. On September 7, 2022, when Chinese astronauts talked from space with the youth from eight African countries via video link, it gave me joy as the youth attentively watched and listened to; Chen Dong, Liu Yang, and Cai Xuzhe, on their experience of a six-month stay in orbit. It was a great inspiration to the African youthdreaming one day to follow in their footsteps.
The first time I travelled in a metro in China I was amazed to see big numbers of people walking up and down the metro station. They were orderly patient. A colleague from Africa we were together was amazed too and asked me, “how does this county manage to keep the crime rate almost zero and keep such large numbers of people satisfied with service delivery with no street demonstrations?”
The Chinese people have put their culture as central to their development. Peace and harmony is a value they cherish. Although the country has people from different ethnic backgrounds, they are all united towards building a prosperous country and society. The CPC government has invested in people centredgovernance which responds to people’s needs. The people have confidence in their government and leadership for making the right decisions for the improvement of the country and the people.
The reasons for sharing the joy with the Chinese people on the 74th National Day are many. I have just highlighted a few.
Gerald Mbanda is a researcher and publisher on China and Africa Cooperation
